Mustering Happiness
by Riuolo
Summary: When officer Naruto Uzumaki is assigned to the task of helping to stop one of the most powerful men in the underground business, Sasuke Uchiha, he promises he will do all he can to bring him in. SasuNaru.
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer**: Naruto obviously doesn't belong to me, as my name is not Sasu—I _mean_... er... Masashi Kishimoto. Yeah. That guy.

**Warning**: This is unbeta'd! Beware!

**Mustering Happiness**

The door to an office labeled '_Tsunade_' was abruptly thrown open, causing the few frames on the walls to briefly rattle. The people situated in the room looked unfazed, as if this was a normal, everyday occurrence for them. A blue eyed man was quick to storm in, looking extremely miffed.

"Geeze, Granny! What the hell did you call us all here for? I'll have you know, you interrupted my dinner at Ichiraku with Iruka-sensei! I didn't even get to eat one bowl of ramen!" Naruto complained, looking close to tears. In his mind's eye, he could see and practically _smell_ the enticing deliciousness that was his favorite food. It seemed to dance just out of reach, further frustrating the blond.

"Naruto!" Tenten, a weapons specialist, scolded, her voice coming from somewhere behind him. Naruto didn't bother to look, as he was too absorbed with the glaring match going on between himself and the busty Konoha chief of police.

Shikamaru, their resident genius, merely sighed.

"Shut up! Hag, Iruka-sensei was even going to treat me, and—"

"_Quiet_!" Tsunade commanded, abruptly standing up and roughly banging her fists on the desk before her. The chair she had been sitting on flew into the wall behind her, causing an ominous _thud_ to echo throughout the room.

Naruto promptly shut his mouth.

"Now that everyone is here and _listening_," Tsunade threw a quick glare towards the cowering Naruto, "I'll begin. Naruto, Shikamaru, Tenten... You're all here today for a very important reason."

The blonde woman looked at them each in turn, causing varied reactions. Naruto puffed out his chest, suddenly feeling excited to learn about what it was that was so important he had to be called in while he was on break. Shikamaru shifted warily in his chair, knowing he probably wasn't going to like what he was about to hear. Tenten merely looked curious, her eyes shifting from person to person.

"Hyuuga?" Tsunade called, briefly looking over her shoulder as she said the name. Almost immediately, a person seemed to materialize from the shadows, carefully stepping forward.

Naruto paused a moment to gape at the stranger with the curiously empty eyes before exclaiming, "What? How did you—"

"This," the chief of police interrupted, "is Neji Hyuuga. With his help, I believe we will be able to bring in Itachi and Sasuke Uchiha."

"Itachi and Sasuke Uchiha?" Shikamaru said, abruptly cutting in. The mention of the names caused him to sit up straight, looking suspiciously between Tsunade and the newly introduced Neji, "As in, the presidents of Uchiha Inc. _Itachi and Sasuke Uchiha_?"

"You know them?" Tsunade commented wryly .

"Who's that?" Naruto demanded, stepping forward. He hated being out of the loop.

"You don't _know_?" Tenten suddenly exclaimed, looking at the blond idiot with her mouth agape. "Have you been living under a rock your whole life? They're _only_ some of the most influential people around! And you...! You...!" She shook her head, frustrated. "But I don't get it. What do they have to do with anything...?"

"Yes..." Shikamaru spoke, his words slow and deliberate, "What _do_ the Uchihas have to do with anything?"

Tsunade sighed. Everything was quiet for a moment. Then, the woman started to pace behind her desk. "Lately," she began, "there have been one or two reports that the Uchihas have been involved in some less than honorable dealings. Hell, there have been whispers of things going on for _years_, but we've never had any solid evidence. However, Hyuuga..." she smirked, gesturing towards the quiet man, "might just be able to change all of that."

"Hmm..." Naruto spoke, crossing his arms and donning an expression of deep thought, "Itachi and Sasuke Uchiha, huh?" He nodded to himself. "Well, Granny, you don't have to worry! I, Naruto Uzumaki, will definitely bring those guys to justice! Heh, I don't even know why you have these other people here, when it's obvious that I'm the only one needed to bring them in. Single-handedly, I—"

"_Silence_!"

The sudden quiet was almost deafening. Tsunade was an intimidating woman.

Suddenly, Neji folded his arms and leaned back against the wall, sending a patronizing look towards the group in front of him. "_These_ are the people you're sending? They're going to end up dead in a back alley somewhere."

Naruto bristled. "Hey! What the fuck did you say, you—"

"I thought I told you to be quiet, brat," Tsunade hissed, her voice deadly. If looks could kill...

The blond gulped.

"Hyuuga, you have my utmost assurances that these three are some of the best cops there are. If there's anyone that can catch the Uchihas, it's them."

The three in question looked mildly embarrassed at the praise. Naruto rubbed the back of his neck. "Granny..." He mumbled, resisting the urge to blush.

Tsunade moved to pick up her chair from where it had previously crashed into the wall. Thankfully, it was still in one piece, which was more than could be said about other chairs she had been sitting on while she was angry. She put it back in its place before plopping down with a content sigh. "Hyuuga," she commanded, "I'd like for you to tell these three everything that you told me. Leave nothing out." Anticipating the long conversation to come, the woman reached into one of the drawers of her desk and pulled out a sizable bottle of sake.

For the first time since he had appeared, Neji looked nervous. "Ah... Tsunade-sama... That is... You _are_ sure that this room is secure, right?"

"Yes," the woman emphasized, downing a gulp of her favorite drink. "As if I would let anyone bug _my_ office..." She mumbled harshly, absentmindedly watching her sake as it swished back and forth in the clear bottle.

"Right..." Neji mumbled, shaking his head. He turned to face the small group before him, his cool expression naturally falling back into place. "As you may have guessed from my name, I am a branch member of the Hyuuga clan. It is my fate to watch over the members of the main family and make sure that no harm comes to them."

"Fate...?" Naruto spoke, seeming to test the term on his tongue. He had never liked that word. His brow furrowed. Tenten shushed him.

Ignoring the exchange, Neji continued on, "For generations, the Hyuuga and Uchiha businesses have been... associates, of sorts. At the best of times, we were partners. At the worst, we were enemies. However, it never truly mattered, as we were always on equal footing with each other. No matter what, it was always impossible for one business to completely outdo the other. Most of the time, this caused a lot of frustration on both ends, but, simply put, it worked. However, in the past decade or so, something has changed. At first, everyone thought it was just a brief acquisition of power. It was believed that it would pass or that we would be quick to catch up. However..."

"You're not asking us to look into them just because your family is jealous of their sudden power, are you?" Whether it was a question or a statement was hard to tell. Shikamaru's calculating gaze never wavered from Neji's form. The fact that the lazy genius had spoke up at all was mildly surprising.

"Of course not," Neji scoffed, "I care not for such matters. As I have already said, it is simply my job to watch over the well-being of the main family."

"Just clearing that up," Shikamaru stated, a small smirk appearing on his otherwise impassive features. "Please, continue."

"The Uchihas are an extremely secretive family," the brunet continued, seemingly needing no other preamble, "It was this, coupled with the fact that the head of my family, Hiashi Hyuuga, was growing frustrated with the current state of affairs that we decided to investigate a few matters. A week ago, we were finally able to get some information. My father..." Neji took a deep breath, "My father, Hizashi Hyuuga, found evidence—important documents and pictures—that proved the Uchiha family has strong connections with the criminal organizations Akatsuki and Sound."

"_What_?" Naruto exclaimed, his eyes bugging. He could hardly believe his ears! "Akatsuki _and_ Sound? But they're...! They're...!"

Tenten gaped. "Neji-san, you're _sure_...?"

Shikamaru merely stared. "That's a serious accusation to make," he warned, "You've brought these documents with you to show us, haven't you?"

"Unfortunately, doing such a thing is now impossible. The night that my father acquired them, he was murdered. The documents were stolen. I assume they've been disposed of." Neji looked determinedly at the ground, unwilling to publicly display his grief to a group of people he hardly knew.

"We were unable to find any evidence at the scene," Tsunade said, speaking up for the first time since Neji had started telling his story. She sighed. "It's obvious it was a planned murder. It was too perfect. There were five stab wounds on the victim's body. Three to the chest and two to the abdomen. One was delivered just below the clavicle and to the left of the sternum. The victim's heart was pierced. The bastard—whoever he was—knew what he was doing." She took another swig of her sake.

Neji paused for a moment, taking a deep breath. "Yes," he agreed, "The attacker wasn't an average thug. Not to mention how easily he bypassed all of our security..." He sounded frustrated, and with good reason.

"Wait a second!" Naruto spoke up, throwing his hand in the air to further emphasize his words, "I know I'm not the best at keeping up with boring stuff like current events, but I do pay attention to the news _sometimes_, and I haven't heard anything about a murder!"

"They're making sure all of the news outlets stay quiet," Shikamaru said, his eyes widening as the revelation struck him.

"Exactly," Neji confirmed, voice grim.

"Che. This is starting to sound more and more troublesome..."

Naruto closed his eyes and folded his arms, his harried brain trying to take in all of the information he had been given. He had never been much of a deep thinker—he usually left that to Shikamaru—but even he realized that a little bit of contemplation was probably in order if he was going to try and do something about the Uchihas. Now, if only it didn't make his brain hurt so damned much...

"And now, on top of everything else, there are report that the Uchihas are planning to buy us out," Neji gritted his teeth, "I told you that they have surpassed us in money and status, but they shouldn't have enough to completely buy out Hyuuga Enterprises. It's not possible. But they... they..." the brunet trailed off, frustration seeming to seep out of his very core.

Then, to the surprise of everyone in the room, the obviously proud man bowed his head.

"Please," the pale eyed man begged, "help us."

There was a brief moment of silence. Then, Tenten spoke. "Neji-san, please raise your head."

Neji did so, his eyes widening at the sight before him.

Naruto, Tenten, and Shikamaru stood proudly, their bodies seeming to ooze confidence. Tenten was the first to speak.

"You don't have to worry about a thing, Neji! I can call you Neji, right?"

"Tenten's right!" Naruto proclaimed, stepping forward and slapping the stupefied Neji on the back, "We just have to prove everything you've told us, right? Then, when we bring them in, your family will be safe and sound! I, Naruto Uzumaki, will definitely be the one to bring these guys to justice!"

"Geeze. It seems I'm being dragged into a troublesome situation again. I guess I can help out." Despite his words, Shikamaru was grinning.

And, for the first time since his father had died, Neji found himself genuinely believing that maybe... just _maybe_ everything would turn out okay.

Tsunade smiled.

"All right, you three!" The busty blonde spoke, her voice commanding, "Now you all know the situation. I want to see Itachi and Sasuke Uchiha in handcuffs as soon as possible. And, of course, be sure to keep a lookout for any information on Akatsuki and Sound. Now, Hyuuga? I believe you mentioned something about a plan earlier..."

**

* * *

**

"Ouch! Sakura-chan, I—_Ow_! Sakura-chan, I don't want to be bald by the time this is all over!"

"Well, maybe next time you'll _think_ before not combing your hair for a month! God, Naruto, I've seen bird's nests more orderly than your hair!" The green eyed girl scolded, viciously tugging at the yellow locks in front of her to further emphasize her point. Naruto winced.

"But Sakura-chan...!" Naruto whined, "I've been busy! And it's not my fault I suddenly have to go to this stupid ball thing! It's all that Neji's fault! His plans are horrible, Sakura-chan! Horrible! Why, I—"

"Oh, shut up," Sakura interrupted, purposefully yanking the comb in her hand harder than necessary in order to force the blond to comply with her demand, "From the sounds of it, you're actually pretty well off. It's Tenten I feel sorry for. All _you_ have to do is sit there and make sure nothing happens. Don't complain. I _wish_ I could go to a party like the one you're going to tonight!" The pink haired girl's eyes suddenly seemed to sparkle.

"Hmph. I don't see what's so great about watching a bunch of stuck-up snobs brag about how much money they have."

"_Naruto_," Sakura warned, her voice and expression deadly, "Don't you dare ruin my fantasy for me."

"Okay! Geeze. I was just _saying_, is all..." Naruto pouted, "Besides, you have a husband, you know! Does the name 'Lee' ring any bells? You shouldn't be fantasizing about anything!"

"I'm telling you this because you're my dear childhood friend, Naruto," Sakura's voice was cheerful. Too cheerful. "Be quiet before I rip out your spleen and feed it to my son's pet slug."

Naruto gulped. Could slugs even eat spleens? He didn't want to find out...

"Now, then," Sakura said happily, taking a step back to admire her handy work, "I think that's as good as your hair is going to get. Go and change into your tuxedo."

The blond haired man grumbled to himself a bit, but went to do as he was told. A few minutes later, he emerged from his room, looking extremely uncomfortable.

"Sakura-chan, this suit is all stuffy and itchy! Why do people wear these things?" Naruto complained. Why would anyone willingly suffer through this kind of torture?

"What are you talking about? You look nice! Now, stop slouching!" Sakura said, striding over and smacking her friend's arm, causing him to wince.

"Ow..."

"Alright! This Neji guy is coming to get you soon, right?" The pink haired woman asked, picking up the comb from before to make a few last-minute adjustments to her friend's appearance.

Naruto stayed still and let her, knowing it was better not to argue. "Yeah. Right after he picks up Shikamaru," he replied, glancing at the clock, "He should be here any minute."

"I see."

For a few moments, there was the quiet lull of companionable silence. Then, Sakura spoke up.

"Naruto..." She paused, suddenly feeling unsure. Then, she shook her head before determinedly trudging on. "You'll be careful, right? I know this is your job, and that you're a professional, but... If things get too bad, you'll cut your losses and make sure you're safe, won't you?"

"Sakura-chan..." Naruto replied, touched, "You do care about me!"

"That is..." Sakura mumbled out, slightly embarrassed, "Of course I do. If you were gone, who else would I use as a punching bag?" She smacked him on the back, just because she could.

"Lee?" Naruto suggested.

She smacked him again.

The blond winced. That was going to bruise...

"But..." Sakura looked down, deep in thought, "I _am_ worried. I may not know all of the details of your mission, but the Uchihas are a powerful family. Don't bite off more than you can chew."

Naruto grinned. "Don't worry! I'll be fine. It'll take more than a pair of rich bastards to hurt _me_!"

Sakura opened her mouth to reply, but was cut off by the chiming of the doorbell.

Naruto jumped at the sound. "That's probably them," he groaned. He _really_ didn't want to go to this party...

"I'll clean up this mess and lock up your apartment for you," Sakura promised, already moving to gather up the various beauty supplies she had brought with her on her visit.

"Thanks," Naruto grinned. The ringing was starting to become more persistent, signaling that the person on the other side was probably getting annoyed with how slow he was going. "I'm coming!" he exclaimed, moving for the door. Just as he was opening it, he turned back and called, "Bye, Sakura-chan!" before stepping out of his apartment and closing the door.

Sakura looked at the spot her friend had been standing in only moments before. She had a bad feeling, deep in her gut. It made her want to squirm.

It was then that she realized Naruto hadn't promised her that he would be careful.

**

* * *

**

"Wow! I've never been in a limo before!" Naruto revealed, eyes bugging as he took in the interior of the vehicle. Around him, Neji, Tenten, and Shikamaru sat, looking contemplative as they considered what they were about to try and pull off. Naruto ran his hands over the leather seats, awed. "Do you ride in these things all the time, Neji?"

The brunet, for his part, looked relatively unruffled. "Sometimes," he dismissed, "Now, you all know what you need to do, right? It won't be long before we arrive, and it is my greatest wish that we go in to this with as much preparation as possible. I don't want anything to go wrong."

"Yeah, yeah," Naruto replied, looking bored, "We go in there, let Tenten work her magic, get some evidence, then go home." They'd gone over this a billion times!

"Don't you understand?" Neji demanded, extremely irritated at the blond's flippant remark, "If you're not careful, you could get killed!"

Shikamaru, who had been looking out the window and watching the scenery speed by as he thought, turned to look at his friend, annoyed. "He's right, Naruto. Please, be serious." He leaned back into his seat.

"I am!" Naruto defended, "I gave my word that I would help Neji protect his family, and that's what I'm going to do! I don't break my promises!" He folded his arms, feeling petulant.

"Guys," Tenten finally spoke, her voice having a distinctly panicked edge to it. Everyone turned to look at her, and, for the first time since he had entered the vehicle, Naruto got a good look at her.

He started laughing. "Tenten," Naruto somehow managed between laughs, "What are you _wearing_?"

Indeed, the normally tomboyish girl seemed to have undergone a complete makeover. Her normal white blouse with red trim and wine-red pants was replaced with a high collared, deep red dress that seemed to reference the Chinese culture. Naruto had to admit that it suited her, but to see the feminist woman in a dress was something he would likely never forget. Or stop teasing her about, for that matter.

"Sh-shut up!" Tenten commanded, embarrassed so badly that she was blushing, "I have to wear this! Since you guys are wanting me to... to..." She seemed unable to continue, growing even more embarrassed as she remembered why she was dressed as she was.

It was all a part of their plan. The party they were going to was being hosted by the Sabaku siblings—Gaara, Temari, and Kankuro. It was reported that Sasuke Uchiha was going to be attending, and the group decided it would be best to use this to their advantage. Tenten, being the only girl in their gang, was going to seek out the Uchiha while everyone else stood by, subtly watching over her to make sure that nothing was going to go wrong. Tenten was carrying a gun with her and could defend herself, but one could never be too careful. If all went according to plan, Tenten would get close to their target and use her charms to make him drop his guard. Then, things could go one of two ways. Either she would be able to get him to tell her what she wanted to know at the party, or she would do her best to convince him to let her go home with him, where she would try to find some evidence and get out as soon as she could.

It was dangerous, and they realized it would probably take a lot of time and luck for the Uchiha to let his guard down, but they had come prepared. A chip had been implanted on the inside of Tenten's high collar, making it so that they could track wherever she went to. It was equipped with a panic button, so that she could reach up and press it if she found herself in serious trouble. They each had a gun that was fully loaded—provided courtesy of Tenten—and they had no qualms about using them.

Shikamaru would be staying in the limo, surrounded by his specialty equipment and keeping an eye on Tenten's movements while communicating with everyone via the small, hidden microphones they each had in their ears.

Neji was going to be getting them in and was in charge of making sure that the Uchiha and Tenten were able to meet. After that, he would be joining Naruto in their combined job of watching out for the brunette and intervening should anything go horribly wrong.

They had taken all of the precautions that they possibly could, and now they could only follow through with their plan and hope that nothing unexpected happened.

"That's the Sabaku mansion, just up ahead," Neji said, gesturing out the window of the limo. Curious, the three cops looked out and quickly saw the building he was talking about. With its imposing nature and many floors, it was hard to miss.

"Wow..." Naruto mumbled, awed.

Tenten nodded, seemingly at a loss for words.

"You're all ready?" Neji asked.

"Yes," Shikamaru was the one to reply, having just double checked to make sure all of his equipment was probably working and in its place. There was an undeniable air of seriousness about the vehicle. It even seemed to effect Naruto, who suddenly had an uncharacteristically somber expression on his face.

"Well, then," Neji announced as the limo slowed and stopped in front of the main gates to the mansion, "Let's go."

"It's show time!" Naruto pumped his fist in the air.

**

* * *

**

The party was, just as Naruto had guessed it would be, _boring_.

The blond man had situated himself firmly by the snack table, resentfully shoving food that probably cost more than what he made in a year into his mouth. Every so often a smartly dressed waiter would walk by with a tray of food, and Naruto would snatch up some of whatever the poor person was carrying, just because he could.

He was so bored. Neji had been forced to abandon him earlier to go and talk to important members of Naruto-didn't-give-a-shit clan, Tenten was still working on getting closer to the Uchiha, who had only arrived a short while ago, and he couldn't exactly talk over the microphone with Shikamaru unless he wanted to look like a loony who spoke to the voices in his head in his spare time. He was already getting enough strange looks, thanks.

Naruto noticed with much relief that Tenten had successfully been able to approach the Uchiha and was currently having an animated, one-sided conversation with the man. Unfortunately, she wasn't the only one. The guy was surrounded by a gaggle of girls, each of them trying desperately to get his attention. The blond felt his resentment for the Uchiha grow. He couldn't get a single girl to even consider going out with him, and this guy was surrounded by _how many_...? The bastard!

"It's not going to work."

Naruto let out a small, unmanly scream as the sudden voice broke through his thoughts. Heart beating a mile a minute, he swung around to face the man who had somehow managed to sneak up on him. His eyes were quickly met with a red headed man with green eyes and an intimidating aura. What the fuck? Had this guy somehow manged to learn of their plan? Was he in cahoots with the Uchihas? Oh, God! He looked like a gangster! Was he part of Akatsuki or Sound? Was this man sent here to kill him? Crap, crap, _crap_!

"What are you—" Naruto began to demand, but was cut off.

"Those girls," the emotionless man tilted his head towards the Uchiha or, more specifically, the women surrounding him, "What they want. It's not going to work."

"Huh?" Naruto replied unintelligently.

The redhead sighed and folded his arms across his chest. He sent a look towards the blond that clearly told the other man that he thought he was an idiot. Naruto sputtered in indignation.

"It is widely believed that the Uchiha is asexual," the intimidating man revealed, "But, personally, I think he's just gay."

"_What_?" Naruto shouted. What about their plan? If the Uchiha was actually gay...!

"Yes."

"Why do you say that?" Naruto asked, a scowl appearing on his face. This bit of news was just fucking _great_...

The redhead raised a nonexistent eyebrow before closing his eyes and leaning against the wall behind him. "It's just a feeling I get."

Naruto twitched. "Who are you?" he demanded.

"Gaara Sabaku." The man, Gaara, tilted his head, "You don't even know the host of the party you're attending?"

"S-Shut up!" Naruto weakly defended, "It's not like I can be expected to know everything! I'm amazing, but I'm not a god!"

"What is your name?" Gaara asked, ignoring the blond's outburst, "It is customary for one to reveal their own name when someone else tells introduces themselves."

A slight blush dusted Naruto's cheeks. He had been getting around to that... Psh... "I'm Naruto Uzumaki."

"Never heard of you."

"Well, not everyone is filthy stinking rich!"

"Indeed."

"You...!"

"Who are you here with?" Gaara inquired.

Naruto sighed. This guy was so strange... "I'm here with Neji Hyuuga. He's my friend."

"Neji Hyuuga, huh?" Gaara said, no inflection marring his tone. Naruto couldn't help but think it was a little creepy. Did this guy not like Neji, or...?

"Yeah..." The blond replied, uncertain.

"I see," the intimidating man spoke, kicking off the wall he was leaning on. Seemingly without preamble, he stuck his hands into his tailored suit and started to walk away.

"What the...? Hey! Where are you going?" Naruto called, confused by the man's strange behavior.

"Somewhere," came the vague reply, "Remember what I said... Naruto."

Naruto was confused. Was he talking about what he had first said about the Uchiha being gay...? Oh, crap! That reminded him...

The blond turned back towards the group of girls he had been observing earlier, relieved when he saw that Tenten was still with them, trying to get as much of the Uchiha's attention as she could. Naruto couldn't believe he had allowed himself to be distracted like that! He was here for his job, not to goof off!

"Gay, huh?" Came a lazy voice in his ear.

Naruto almost jumped, but somehow managed to stop himself. He'd forgot about how Shikamaru was listening in with the microphone...

"Er... yeah," Naruto mumbled, well aware that it would look like he was talking to himself to anyone who happened to look his way. He had to be discreet... discreet...

"Well, Tenten hasn't been having any luck. Why don't you try?" Shikamaru suggested through the ear bud in the blond's ear.

"WHAT DID YOU SAY?" Screw being discreet! He ignored the strange looks he was being sent.

Naruto heard Shikamaru sigh, "Well, it's worth a shot, isn't it?"

"Listen, Shika, if you think I'm going to—" Naruto began to growl out, but he was cut off.

"Keep your voice down, Naruto. You're going to make me deaf. And yes, I do expect you to at least try to do this. You promised Neji you would do all you could to bring in the Uchihas, and the Naruto I know doesn't go back on his word."

The blond knew his friend was goading him, _tricking_ him into agreeing with his stupid idea, but he couldn't help but rise to the bait. Shikamaru had always been good at using his pride against him.

"Fine, Shika! _Fine_. But it's only so that I can show you how completely and utterly wrong you are!" Naruto snapped.

"Good," came the reply. Naruto could practically hear the smirk in his friend's voice. "I'll tell everyone about the slight change of plans. Just be careful."

"I know, I know..." Naruto grumbled in reply. He sent a fierce glare towards a few of the people who were looking at him funny, causing them to look away. He grinned at this, feeling victorious.

The blond glanced back over at Tenten and the Uchiha and saw his chance. Almost as if on cue, the man excused himself from the group of girls giggling around him and headed out towards one of the balconies, presumably to get some fresh air.

Knowing that this was probably going to be the best opportunity he'd ever get, Naruto casually followed after the retreating figure, all the while acting as if he was wanting some fresh air, as well. Well, it _was_ getting stuffy in the ballroom...

The cold night hair hit Naruto's face with a slight _whoosh_, and the blond paused a moment to revel in the feeling. He didn't even realize how hot it had been getting inside... It was probably because of all of the people.

Naruto glanced around, doing his best to look casual. His eyes were quickly met with intimidatingly broad, tensed shoulders and the back of some dark hair that vaguely resembled a duck's butt. He had found his target. Sasuke Uchiha.

The blue eyed man repressed the urge to shiver in revulsion as he remembered what he had come here to do. Bleh... He was straight, damn it! He made _rulers_ jealous! Why did he have to do this...?

Seeming to sense he was being stared at, the Uchiha—_Sasuke_, Naruto reminded himself—turned his head slightly to look at the other man. Blue eyes met dark eyes, and Naruto found his breath hitching at the sight of them. He didn't know it was possible to have black eyes... Sasuke remained expressionless. The dark haired man looked away, seeming to dismiss him.

Naruto blinked.

…

Damn it! He really, really _was_ straight! Really! This guy... he just had a really fucking girly face. Yeah. It had _confused_ him...

Remembering what he was here to do, Naruto walked determinedly towards the other man and leaned against the balcony next to him. Now, he just had to think like a homosexual... Homosexual thoughts... homosexual thoughts...

"What do you think you're doing?" Sasuke asked coldly, snapping the blond back to attention.

Naruto felt his temper briefly flare at the other's tone, but squashed the feeling. He had something he needed to do...

Naruto fluttered his eyelashes.

Hey, if he was going to be doing this, then he might as well go all out.

"It was getting so stuffy in there... I figured I'd come out here and get some fresh air. I didn't know someone else would have the same idea as me." Naruto did his best to keep his voice as silky smooth as he could, feeling a bit stupid as he did so.

"Did it ever occur to you that I might have wanted to be alone, idiot? I don't want to hang out with some fucking stalker fanboy. Go away." The Uchiha's voice was cold and harsh.

Naruto's eyebrow twitched in annoyance.

"But..." he replied, a little surprised at how nicely that came out considering the anger that was suddenly raging inside him.

"'But' nothing. Or are you deaf, too? Deaf _and_ an idiot. Great."

Oh, that was it.

"_Bastard_!" Naruto exclaimed, unable to stop the sudden surge of anger at the other's words, "If anyone's stupid, it's you! You should feel honored to have the amazing Naruto Uzumaki talking to you! Of course, it's probably hard to feel anything other than pain because of that ten foot pole you have shoved up your ass!"

"What did you say to me?" Sasuke asked, his voice dark. His posture suddenly became threatening and he wasted no time in advancing towards the idiot blond, starting to close the small distance between them.

"You heard me, jer—" Naruto cut himself off, a strange glint catching his eye. His head whipped just to the side of the other man, eyes widening. "Get down!" the blond commanded, tackling Sasuke to the ground before he had time to react.

"Wha—" The dark eyed man's growled question was cut off by the sound of a gun firing. A moment later, a loud _ping_ was heard as the bullet hit the railing next to where the Uchiha had been standing only seconds before.

Screams immediately started to ring out amongst the party guests as people began to panic. Even from his spot on the ground, Naruto could see the pandemonium the noise had caused.

Without hesitation, Sasuke rolled them over to the side a few times just as another shot rang out, this time having hit the spot on the ground where they had both been laying just seconds ago. Then, faster than Naruto's mind could comprehend, the other man was up and ramming into the gunman, knocking him to the ground. There was a brief struggle, and Naruto was just about to jump in and try to help when the Uchiha backed up a bit, holding his opponent's gun up triumphantly. In a flash, he had the cold metal pressed to the gunman's forehead.

Naruto felt a small shiver go through his body at the angered, deadly expression on his dark haired target's face. He wouldn't have blamed the gunman if he'd peed his pants.

"Just who," Sasuke began, his voice strangely emotionless considering the rage on his face, "the _fuck_ do you think you are?"

Naruto strolled up beside them, but didn't get too close. He didn't feel like having the other man's glare directed at him for interrupting.

Whoever this gunman was, Naruto couldn't help but observe, he was pretty good. He looked intimidated, but not nearly as terrified as Naruto would have thought he would be, considering the circumstances. The man had a fucking lunatic holding a gun to his head!

The gunman started to lean his head back a little bit, and Naruto could tell he was about to spit on the Uchiha. The dark haired man was quick to stop that before it even began, however. Using the hand not holding the gun, Sasuke promptly punched the guy in the face.

Naruto heard a crunch. He winced. That had to hurt...

Not willing to just sit by while the man got beaten up, Naruto bravely took a step forward. "Bastard, stop that. You've restrained him. You don't need to do anything else."

The blond half expected the other man to glare at him before telling him to fuck off and mind his own business, so he was surprised by the emotionless glance he was given instead. Sasuke seemed to contemplate Naruto for a moment. Then, to the surprise of everyone who saw, he nodded his head in compliance and reached to bind his opponent's hands behind his back to help keep him from struggling.

"Uchiha-sama," a body guard spoke, seeming to materialize out of no where, "I'll take him from you."

The dark eyed man glared daggers in response. "And just where were you when I was getting _shot at_?"

The poor man looked uncomfortable, "Uchiha-sama... forgive me..."

"You have the nerve to just come over here after you—" Sasuke's furious words were cut off by Naruto, who stepped in, hoping to diffuse the situation.

"Geeze, bastard! Just let it go. You're fine now, aren't you? Give the poor guy a break." Naruto kind of felt bad for the man, having to deal with the Uchiha's bitchiness all of the time.

Once again, the dark haired man sent him a curiously blank stare. "Hn..." he spoke.

"You're just so articulate, aren't you?" Naruto snorted.

Not seeming to bother honoring that with a reply, Sasuke harshly pushed the gunman to his feet and shoved him into the waiting arms of the burly body guard. Naruto watched as the struggling man was dragged off, silently wishing him luck. Whatever the body guard had in store for him before he was sent off to the police probably wasn't pretty.

Almost immediately, Sasuke was surrounded by worried, whimpering girls.

"Are you okay, Sasuke-kun? Please, speak to me!"

"Sasuke-kuuuun!"

"Sasuke-kun! Oh, Sasuke-kun, I was so scared. When I heard that gunshot..."

"I'm so happy you were able to take out that bad man, Sasuke-kun!"

Naruto gaped.

Once again, the bastard had all of the girls swooning over him! Didn't they know it was him who saved their precious 'Sasuke-kun's life? He deserved to be fawned over, too!

Looking annoyed, the Uchiha pushed past the worried girls and headed determinedly for the door. Once again, Naruto's temper flared.

"Oi, bastard! You're just going to leave? Don't you have something to say to me? Like, I don't know, a _thank you_ for saving your sorry hide?"

The girls that Sasuke had abandoned gasped, looking appalled.

"You meanie! How could you say such a thing to Sasuke-kun?"

"Yeah! Jerk!"

Naruto had the sudden urge to bang his head against the nearest wall.

The dark haired man in question stopped mid-step, looking back briefly to regard Naruto with blank eyes. Finally, he sighed, his eyes closing briefly in what appeared to be annoyance. "Come with me, idiot."

Glaring all the way, Naruto followed after the man. The bastard had better have something good to repay him with. Like a promise to leave Neji's company alone and ten bowls of miso ramen.

He didn't notice that he was missing the earbud that allowed him to communicate with Shikamaru, the piece of electronic having gotten knocked out of his ear during the scuffle.

**

* * *

**

As he got into the Uchiha's limo, Naruto felt a slight pang of anxiety. It was then that he began to wonder if it was really the best idea for him to have followed the man he knew was involved with some of the most dangerous gangs in the area into his fucking _limo_. Unfortunately, he had always been known for his impulsiveness...

Well, whatever! If he found himself in a tight spot, he was confident he could get out of it. He had done so in the past, after all. Besides, wasn't this what they had been planning, anyway? They had wanted to infiltrate the Uchiha residence, which was probably where they were going. Though, it had been Tenten who had been assigned to do that... Plus, she had a tracking chip, which he lacked... Damn it.

The sound of the limo door closing with an ominous _thud_ wrenched him from his thoughts.

And there went his escape route. Naruto gulped.

The Uchiha, sitting across from Naruto, cleared his throat, calling for his companion's attention. When the blond was looking at him, he spoke, "I don't believe I properly introduced myself. My name is Sasuke Uchiha. But you already knew that, didn't you? Naruto Uzumaki."

Naruto's eyes widened. "How did you know my name...?"

"Idiot. You told me. Remember? You said something along the lines of 'You should feel honored to have the amazing Naruto Uzumaki talking to you!' Hn."

Naruto blinked stupidly. "That's right... Hey, how did you remember that? Do you have some sort of freaky photographic memory or something?"

"It's called having a normal memory, idiot. As opposed to you, who seems to have the memory of a goldfish suffering from amnesia. You're such a dobe." Sasuke smirked, a haughty expression crossing his usually emotionless features.

"What did you say?" Naruto demanded, raising a fist and glaring for all he was worth.

Sasuke was unfazed. "I said you were a dobe. Is your amnesiac goldfish memory failing you again?"

"Bastard!"

"I am amazed at your wit and ingenuity in thinking up comebacks. Please, dazzle me more with your brilliance. Go on."

Naruto growled. "Well, I'd rather be an idiot than a complete asshole!"

"I can tell." Sasuke's smirk deepened.

"What?" Naruto demanded.

"Hn. Dobe."

"Bastard! You want to go? I'll take you on and kick your pretty-boy ass!" Naruto attempted to stand angrily, but seemed to have forgotten about the fact that he was in a car. His head hit the roof of the limo with a painful _thunk_. The blond hissed and rubbed the top of his head. That was probably going to bruise...

Sasuke stared incredulously at the other man for a few, long moments. Then, to Naruto's amazement, the bastard actually _laughed_. Surely this was a sign of the apocalypse. "I would take you up on your offer, but it seems the limo has already got you beat," he taunted once the chuckles had subsided, "I can't believe you actually did that. You really are a dobe."

"You...!"

"Besides, we've arrived," Sasuke pointed out the window.

Naruto looked, eyes widening at the sight before him. This mansion... this _castle_... it was even bigger than the Sabaku place! He hadn't even thought that was possible! He could only gape.

Sasuke smirked, privately pleased with the blond's reaction.

"Well," Sasuke spoke as the door to the limo opened, "Shall we go?"

"Hey! Wait! Wait just one second!" Naruto threw his hand in the air, "I'm not going with you until you tell me a few things. Why do you want me to follow you, anyway? For all I know, you could be kidnapping me right now! I swear, bastard, I'll scream. You won't be so smug when the cops get called on your sorry ass!"

"What are you, a girl?" Sasuke snorted.

Naruto sputtered. "I'm not a girl!" He yelled, indignant.

"You're sure acting like one, dobe."

"I'll show you!" Naruto declared, "I'll beat you to your own front door! Then we'll see who's the girl!" The blond jumped out of the open limo door and rushed towards the imposing front steps of the estate.

Sasuke smirked to himself. "That was almost too easy..." he mumbled.

Deciding not to bother himself with the blond's stupid challenge, Sasuke followed him casually and soon caught up with Naruto.

The man was panting after having run up so many stairs just to get to the door, but looked proud of himself. "I beat you, bastard!" he declared.

Sasuke raised an eyebrow. "I never agreed to your stupid challenge, idiot. Now, follow me."

"Wha...? Hey! You're only saying that because you're jealous that I beat you!"

"Hardly. Are you going to follow me or not?"

Naruto grudgingly complied with the request, reminding himself that this was necessary if he wanted to get evidence against the Uchihas. Damn it, he would save Neji and his family if it killed him!

The wide double doors that made up the entrance closed behind him.

Suddenly, Sakura's words from before flashed in his mind.

"_Naruto... You'll be careful, right? I know this is your job and that you're a professional, but... If things get too bad, you'll cut your losses and make sure you're safe, won't you?"_

Naruto frowned.

_I'm sorry, Sakura-chan, but I have to do this, _he thought to himself.

"Let's go, idiot."

**

* * *

**

Naruto looked around the plain room that Sasuke had led him to. It was strangely empty, especially considering the opulence he had seen around the rest of the house.

Sasuke had left him alone a little while ago, saying that he needed to go and check on some things. Though a little suspicious, Naruto accepted the excuse and had told the other he would wait patiently until he got back.

Ha. As _if_.

Sasuke had only been gone for a few minutes, and already Naruto was pacing around the room, running his hands through his hair, and biting viciously at his lip. He had never been one to stay still for extended periods of time, and that—coupled with how crazy his instincts were driving him—caused a lot of built up nervous energy.

He wondered if he should be using his time alone to try and escape. He was quick to dismiss the idea, however. He was no coward! Besides, if he did that, then they wouldn't be any further into their investigation than when they had started.

Come to think of it... Shikamaru was being strangely silent. Usually, when Naruto started to get into trouble, the lazy man would be there nagging his ear off about how stupid he was being.

So why wasn't he?

"Shikamaru?" Naruto asked hesitantly, half afraid one of the Uchiha brothers or someone who worked in the mansion would burst into the room and demand to know why he was talking to himself.

Silence was his only reply.

Naruto's brow furrowed. "Shikamaru, are you there?" He lifted his hand up absentmindedly towards his ear, deciding to make sure the electronic device was still on. His heart skipped a beat when he realized the ear bud that allowed him to communicate with the rest of his team was gone.

He couldn't help it. He panicked.

"Shikamaru? Shika! Answer me, damn it! Are you there? Shika!" The blond angrily thumped the side of his head where the ear bud had been, as if this would magically solve everything. It didn't.

"Trying to call for backup, dobe?"

Naruto nearly jumped out of his skin. What was it with people surprising him today?

Heart beating a mile a minute, the blue eyed man did his best to look casual as he slowly turned to face the intruder. "When did you—?"

"I came in just a moment ago," Sasuke replied, his eyes revealing absolutely nothing about what he was thinking, "You were too busy beating yourself up to notice."

Naruto gulped, trying desperately to think of an excuse. "Ah... yeah. You see, when I was twelve years old a stray baseball came out of nowhere and hit me on the head. I was in the hospital for weeks. I've been hearing voices off and on ever si—"

"Hn. Save it," the Uchiha's voice was cold and uncaring. Naruto felt himself give a small shiver. "Did you honestly think I wouldn't know, dobe?"

Naruto glared, defiant. "I don't know what you're talking about." When all else fails, deny, deny, deny...

The glare that Sasuke returned probably could have killed a lesser man. "Oh, but I think you do, Officer Uzumaki."

The blond growled. So, he really had found out, huh...? "What tipped you off?" he demanded.

"It wasn't so much as '_what_' as it was '_who_,'" Sasuke smirked grimly, obviously feeling victorious since he had gotten Naruto to admit it, "Gaara Sabaku contacted me immediately after he finished speaking with you. I suppose you were busy at the time with... Ah... What was it? Oh, yes. Talking with the voices in your head." He raised a dark eyebrow, obviously unimpressed with the excuse.

An image of the intimidating redhead he had talked to earlier flashed before Naruto's mind. His eyes narrowed. That _bastard_...! But wait a second...

"Hey! I didn't tell Sabaku anything about that!" He was _sure_ he hadn't! Sure, he was known for being irresponsible, but he wasn't _that_ stupid!

"You told him enough," Sasuke sent a condescending look towards the other man, "Sabaku remembered your name from a report about a robbery that you foiled. Only _you_ would be stupid enough not to have given him a fake name. On top of that, you revealed to him that you were there with Neji Hyuuga, of all people. I think we both know the Hyuugas are displeased with my family right now. It doesn't take a genius to put two and two together."

"I should have known that such an emotionless bastard was your minion," Naruto growled out.

Sasuke snorted. "Hardly. Gaara is his own man."

"Then why...?" Naruto asked, confused.

"For almost the same reason you accepted this particular assignment, I assume," Sasuke replied with a slight wave of his hand.

"Huh?" Naruto replied, oh-so-articulately.

Sasuke sent the blond before him another condescending look. "I should have guessed that I would have to spell it out for you, idiot." He sighed, as if this whole situation was one huge pain in his ass. "For a cop, you're really stupid. Sabaku is trying to get on my good side so that I'll listen to his request to leave the Hyuugas alone."

Naruto scowled. "You liar! If he wanted that, then he would have let me continue on with my assignment instead of ratting me out to you!"

"Do you honestly think you're the first one who has tried to 'bring me in'?" Sasuke shook his head, annoyed, "Well, you're not. I can tell you that there have been numerous attempts to see that I'm brought to 'justice.' And most of the others who have tried had more skill in their left pinky than you do in your entire body, dobe. You were doomed to failure from the start. Gaara Sabaku realized this. _Anyone_ would have realized this."

"You...!" Naruto began, looking as if he was about to attack the other man.

"It would be in your best interests not to try that. You're in my territory now," the look on Sasuke's face was one of subdued, but vicious, amusement, "Neji Hyuuga doesn't even realize how many people he has looking out for him, trying to 'protect' him from my family. He's too obsessed with watching over his clan's main family—with watching over his '_Hinata-sama_'—to see. It's almost a shame. Anyway, now that I've explained everything in a way that your pea-sized brain can comprehend, why don't we get down to business?"

"'Business'?" Naruto repeated, almost seeming to shriek the word. So, the bastard was finally going to tell him why he had brought him here, huh? Well, whatever it was, he wouldn't go down without a fight!

"Yes. Business," came the brisk reply. Without warning, Sasuke began to advance on the blond. Not one to back down, Naruto took a fighting stance, raising his fists high in the air.

"Bastard! You want to fight me? Fine! I'll take you—"

Naruto's words were abruptly cut off when Sasuke expertly maneuvered past the blond's defenses and planted a fierce kiss firmly on the other man's lips.

The kiss was hard and forceful, but there was an undeniable soft undertone to it. The blond's eyes widened and his body momentarily stiffened in shock. Sasuke used the opportunity to force Naruto's mouth open and shove his tongue in while pushing him back until the blue eyed man's back hit the wall.

This action snapped Naruto out of his daze. His eyes narrowed, but before he could bite down on the invading tongue in his mouth Sasuke pulled away. They were both breathing deeply, trying to reclaim the air they had lost during the harsh kiss. Naruto felt rage well up inside of him. This _bastard_! How dare he? _How dare he_? He wanted to punch the dark haired man, but Sasuke's grip on him made that impossible. He looked towards Sasuke's face to glare at him for all he was worth, but the emotions found swirling in the other man's eyes made Naruto stop, his breath catching.

His eyes still had their usual hardness in them, but, shockingly, Naruto could also see confusion, lust, awe, and millions of other emotions that seemed to pass by too quickly for the blond to identify.

Sasuke looked him straight in the eyes. "Why," he finally spoke, his voice alight with controlled frustration, "did you help me?"

Immediately, Naruto knew what he was talking about. Not that it was hard to guess. In his mind's eye, he remembered and pictured the scene that had happened earlier—just a few hours ago, when he had forced Sasuke to the ground when someone had pulled out a gun and tried to shoot him. Naruto thought the reason why he had done that was obvious. Sasuke, apparently, did not.

"I've been trying to figure it out," Sasuke started again. He momentarily paused, letting his head fall and rest on Naruto's shoulder. He tightened his grip on the blond and then continued, his voice slightly muffled by Naruto's shirt, "But I can't. I just can't. Why, Naruto Uzumaki? Why didn't you let that man shoot me? It would have made your job easier if I was dead. So why? Tell me."

There was a sudden, long pause. Naruto tilted his head, confused by the man's question. He honestly didn't know why?

"Bastard, no matter how much I hate you, I'm not going to let you—or _anyone_—die right before my eyes. Not when I can do something about it. No matter what you've done in the past or who you associate yourself with, you're still a human being. And you call _me_ an idiot?"

Naruto meant to smirk, but when he looked at the other man it turned into a smile. Sasuke looked up from his resting place on Naruto's shoulder, his eyes shocked and slightly disbelieving.

Had this guy really been so deprived of any form of love his whole life that something like this surprised him? In a lot of ways, Naruto could empathize with him. His past hadn't been pretty either. That is, until he had met Iruka-sensei. He smiled when he remembered the man who had irrevocably changed his life for the better.

Naruto continued on, unhesitatingly voicing his convictions, "I believe that everyone should have the opportunity to keep on living. Because you never know, right? If you keep on living, something good might just happen."

For a moment, Sasuke's heart stopped at the blond's words. He hadn't even known it, but he had _needed_ to hear that. And now, he felt so... so...

Naruto's cheesy grin was cut off by a soft kiss.

When Sasuke pulled back again, Naruto sputtered out a, "What? Uchiha! Why the hell do you keep—"

"Naruto, Naruto, Naruto..." Sasuke mumbled, whispering the name like it was a prayer.

The blond blushed slightly. "L-listen, bastard, I know I'm hot stuff, but I'm straight so I'd really appreciate it if you stopped doing tha—" Naruto's frenzied words were cut off by another kiss, which was soon followed by another, and another.

Seeing the dazed look in Naruto's eyes, Sasuke smirked, "You were saying?"

"Ah... ha... _b-bastard_... you..."

"Still coherent, huh? I'll have to change that." Sasuke smirked before kissing Naruto deeply once again. When he pulled away, he spoke again, sounding out of breath, "You know, when that man shot at me, I was wearing a bullet-proof vest."

Naruto glared weakly, his whole body suddenly feeling like mush. "Y-yeah? Well... were you... ha... ha... wearing a b-bullet proof... ha... _head_?" he shot back in reply.

Sasuke grinned, looking very much like the cat that had caught the canary. Not bothering to dignify the blond's words with a reply, he went back to deeply kissing the other man, happily exploring the other's mouth with his tongue. Without Naruto noticing, he began to maneuver them both out of the room and down the hall towards another room.

Naruto didn't even realize he had been moved until his back came in contact with a soft bed. While this might have snapped him out of his daze in any other circumstance, Sasuke's kisses and roaming hands drove away all thoughts about why what they were doing was wrong on so many levels, leaving him only with the desperate feeling of wanting _more, more, more_...

Similarly, Sasuke was having an equally difficult time thinking. All he could think about was the happiness and lust and the _millions_ of other emotions just being around the blond evoked in him. He couldn't help but wonder if this was what the dobe had been talking about. He had kept living, and now he had met Naruto. _His_ Naruto. And, if he was with Naruto, he could keep going on forever. They had only just met, but he knew... he knew... _he knew_... Naruto, Naruto, _Naruto_...

Sasuke gently lowered Naruto onto his bed, behaving as if he held something infinitely precious in his arms. "Mine..." he whispered fiercely, "Mine... _My_ Naruto... Mine... Only mine... Naruto..."

Naruto's breath caught, and the immediate response in his muddled mind was to deny Sasuke's words. He had worked hard for his independence. He was his own man. However, he just _knew_... He wasn't sure how he did, but he knew... that was just how Sasuke dealt with and expressed the feelings he had. He wasn't cruel enough to begrudge him that. Besides, Sasuke probably wouldn't listen to him if he tried to deny it, anyway.

Sasuke placed an open mouthed kiss against the blond's neck, and just like that all thoughts of anything else flew out of Naruto's head. He arched into Sasuke's hold as the man began sucking on the spot he had kissed. With the way Sasuke was sucking and nipping at his neck, he knew it was going to leave a noticeable mark later, but oh _God_... he couldn't bring himself to care.

"Sa..._ah_! Sasuke!" Naruto moaned, unable to stop himself. The sound of his own name seemed to spur Sasuke on. He harshly ground their members together, causing a pleasant _zing_ to jolt through Naruto's whole body. "_Sasuke_!"

"Hn," Sasuke mumbled to himself, pulling back from Naruto's neck to inspect his handy work. Seemingly satisfied, he pressed another hard kiss onto Naruto's lips and started to work on removing his clothes.

Naruto eagerly returned the kiss and helped Sasuke with his task while also working to strip the dark haired man. Suddenly, though, Sasuke paused. Naruto looked up at him, wondering what was wrong.

Before he could voice the question, Sasuke raised an eyebrow and held up the gun that had been hidden beneath the blond's clothes. Naruto blinked stupidly, unable to comprehend much of anything in the current state he was in.

Rolling his eyes, Sasuke removed the clip from the handgun and pulled the slide back to eject the cartridge that was in the chamber of the gun. When he finished unloading it, he ignored normal safety procedures and carelessly tossed it somewhere behind them.

"What the—Hey! Bastard, that was my gun!" Naruto said angrily, seeming to momentarily gather a few of his wits.

"Hn," Sasuke replied simply before kissing his dobe again.

Unimpeded by anything else, both were soon naked. Sasuke, unwilling to waste any more time, reached a hand towards a dresser beside his bed and began rummaging through the items there. Soon, he victoriously pulled out a bottle of lube and began to squirt some onto his fingers.

Sasuke gave Naruto another deep kiss and, when he was sure the blond was sufficiently distracted, he shoved a lube covered finger up his ass.

Immediately, Naruto broke the kiss, hissing in pain. He was pretty sure things weren't supposed to go inside that particular hole...

"Bastard," Naruto bit out through the pain he was feeling, glaring at Sasuke, "Why the h-hell am I the woman in this relationship? Y-you're the girly looking o-one!"

Sasuke sent him a look, communicating without words that he was doubting his dobe's intelligence. Not dignifying Naruto's question with a response, he added another finger.

"Ouch..." Naruto said, whimpering slightly.

Unhappy with the knowledge that his Naruto was in pain, Sasuke began using his fingers to feel around inside the blond. Naruto shivered, unsure if he liked the slightly painful feeling of the probing fingers or not. It mostly just felt strange.

Then, suddenly, Sasuke hit a certain spot inside of him, and Naruto could swear he saw fucking _stars_. "Sasuke!" he cried, his eyes slamming shut and his body loosening as the pleasure washed over him.

Sasuke smirked, extremely pleased with the blond's reaction. Wanting to see more of Naruto's pleasured face, he began to relentlessly abuse his prostate. Naruto was soon screaming out broken utterances of Sasuke's name, much to the dark haired man's delight.

Naruto clutched desperately at Sasuke's bare back, _feeling_ that his climax was just so fucking close...! However, just as he was about to fall over the edge of pleasure, Sasuke pulled away, removing his hand from Naruto's anus.

Naruto, unable to control himself, let out an anguished sob. "_Sasuke_..." he mumbled frantically, reaching one of the hands that had previously been clutching on to the dark haired man towards his dick, desperate for the release he had just been denied.

Sasuke swatted the blond's hand away. "No," he said, more harshly than he had originally intended. He didn't offer any explanation. Naruto trembled uncontrollably.

Infuriatingly slowly, Sasuke positioned himself at Naruto's entrance. Then, before the blond had the opportunity to tense up, he shoved himself inside.

"SASUKE!" Naruto yelled, arching into the Uchiha. It hurt, it hurt, it _hurt_! He felt tears prickling at the corners of his eyes.

Sasuke felt like he was in Heaven. "Naruto..." he whispered, pleasured beyond belief as Naruto's velvety, warm tightness enveloped him. Only the knowledge that his partner was in pain kept him from pounding Naruto viciously into the bed.

Slowly, Naruto's pain began to subside. When it did, he was surprised by the startling _fullness_ he felt. As strange as it was, being in Sasuke's arms with the guy's dick shoved up his ass made him feel complete. His eyes slowly closed as a feeling of contentedness washed over him. "Sasuke..."

Taking this as a confirmation that Naruto was okay, Sasuke began to move. He started out slowly, wanting to revel in the feeling of Naruto around him, but the pleasant heat seemed to call to him. Soon, he was pounding into the blond with a single-minded intensity. The bed began to creak loudly, the noise joining the pleasured moans and pants coming from the two lovers.

Naruto was once again seeing stars. Sasuke seemed to be an expert at finding his prostate and slamming harshly into it. Everything just felt so fucking _good_... It was almost starting to become too much. He could feel himself slipping closer to the edge of ultimate pleasure. He was so close...

Naruto opened his mouth to tell his partner this, but all that seemed to come out was useless mumbles of Sasuke's name. Despite this, Sasuke seemed to get the message. He continued his assault on the blond's body, all the while delighting in the emotions he was feeling.

And, just like that, Naruto couldn't hold it back any longer. He came with a loud cry, his hands clinging on to his lover.

Sasuke's breath hitched. The feeling of Naruto's inner walls contracting around his overly-sensitized member was too much, and Sasuke was quick to follow the blond into pleasurable oblivion.

When it was finally over, Sasuke's arms—which had previously been holding him up—failed him. They buckled, and he collapsed next to his dobe, taking care not to land on and squish him.

For a while, both laid together in the comfortable, expansive bed. A companionable silence overtook the room, broken only by the sound of the two's heavy breathing.

Then, Sasuke rolled over to face Naruto. The blond mirrored the move, and for a moment all they could do was look at each other blankly. Suddenly, Sasuke moved his arm and wrapped it around his dobe, drawing him closer. Naruto smiled slightly in response.

There were millions of questions swirling around in their heads—millions of inquiries, demands, and untold explanations. Tomorrow morning, this encounter was going to make their lives extremely hectic, especially if they wanted to stay together.

And they did.

Even Naruto, who would have sworn to everyone he knew that he was _heterosexual_, law abiding officer of the law just a few hours before.

And particularly Sasuke, who wasn't entirely sure he knew what this new feeling was called, but knew he liked it and wanted to figure it out.

Yeah, the world around them was about to turn upside down. But it didn't matter, because this small moment they found themselves in was perfect, and they didn't want to give it up.

Not now. Not ever.

**

* * *

**

**A/N**: Alright! So, I wrote this for the SasuNaru kink meme on Livejournal. When I saw the prompt, the plot bunnies began relentlessly assaulting me. I _had_ to write it. Here was the prompt, if you're curious:

"kink: Naruto, an undercover cop, attempts to seduce Sasuke Uchiha, the most powerful man in the underground business.

minor: a happy ending.

Naruto's team: Neji, Shikamaru, Tenten"

As you can tell, this prompt kind of spiraled out of control. ^^;; Yeah. I blame the aforementioned plot bunnies. Unfortunately, because this ended up being longer than I anticipated, it took about two months to write. Ahaha?

…

I blame college. ;-;

Regrettably, since this was a one-shot, there were a _lot_ of loose ends I wasn't able to tie up. I'm really sorry... Honestly? I _definitely_ could have kept adding on and writing more of this. But when I hit the 10,000 word mark, I knew I needed to start wrapping it up. If it didn't, it was going to turn into a full-fledged fanfiction. xD

Anyway, thank you for reading until the end! I hope you enjoyed reading this!


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: **Still don't own Naruto. Darn.

**Mustering Happiness**

Chapter Two

The next time Naruto cracked open his eyes, he wasn't _really_ awake.

Dazed, the blond was somehow able to comprehend that he was in that half aware, fuzzy mindset that he usually found himself in when someone or something disturbed his sleep in the middle of the night. He wasn't quite sure what had woken him up, and he was too tired to try and figure it out.

Suddenly, a warm feeling seemed to break through the haze of his thoughts. It had a pleasant, kind air about it, and... Naruto felt strangely... _protected_. It was nice.

Smiling slightly, Naruto instinctively snuggled closer towards where he perceived the feeling to be. His mind hardly even registered the arm that briefly tightened reassuringly around him.

With a content sigh, the blond slipped back into the land of slumber.

* * *

Sasuke carefully slid off of his bed, paying extra attention to his movements so as not to jostle the sleeping Naruto again. When he had tried to leave earlier, the blond had almost woken up. He didn't want to disturb him...

Ignoring the annoying voice in the back of his head that was telling him that being so considerate was extremely out of character for him, Sasuke looked back to check on Naruto again. Sure enough, he was still snoozing away. Sasuke's lips twitched into what might have been a smile before completely stepping off of the bed. He walked into the bathroom connected to his room and washed himself off with a wet towel before throwing on the first clean thing he could find. He then moved to exit the room.

After making sure to lock his door firmly behind him, the Uchiha headed down the hall. With his tense posture and brisk pace, it would have been obvious to anyone who might have saw that he had a specific, unpleasant destination in mind.

He abruptly stopped in front of an intricately designed mahogany door and raised a fist, knocking quickly.

"Come in," came a voice from inside.

Sasuke quietly twisted the handle and stepped into the room. "Itachi," he greeted, his voice strangely emotionless.

"Sasuke," a man—Itachi—coldly replied, not bothering to look up from the papers on his desk. There were a few brief moments of silence as Sasuke moved to stand in front of his brother and Itachi shuffled the important papers into an orderly pile. Then, finally, he glanced up to meet his brother's eyes. "I was able to hear you from all the way down here a few hours ago," he said. And that was it. No, 'couldn't you have kept it down?' or 'your loud sex noises were disturbing me as I worked.'

Sasuke nodded. "Hn," he replied simply.

Once again, there was silence. This time, Sasuke was the one to break it.

"Itachi, the situation is getting more and more dangerous. I'm sure you've already heard, but at the Sabaku banquet last night I was attacked. And not only that, it seems the Konoha police are getting bolder. There were at least two cops at the party, probably more," Sasuke informed, studying his brother with a critical eye for any sort of reaction to the news. As he expected, there was none.

Itachi leaned back in his chair and intertwined his fingers, appearing to be the very picture of relaxed. "I've already fired the bodyguard that was watching over you last night, and the gunman has been properly interrogated and disposed of. As for the police, they will be easy to take care of. Your concerns are unnecessary," he dismissed.

Sasuke stared at his brother for a long moment before sighing. "Fine," he replied, sounding bored. Not willing to waste any more time, he turned on his heels and stalked out of the room. Neither of the two bothered with a 'goodbye.'

After Sasuke closed Itachi's office door behind him, he couldn't help but pause. Somehow, he had a bad feeling. Were his worries really unwarranted? He wasn't quite sure...

Deciding to think more on it later, he headed back down the hall. He had a blond he needed to molest.

* * *

After his brother had left, Itachi stared blankly at the spot Sasuke had been standing for a few moments. Finally, he reached over and grabbed the phone on his desk. It rang once before the person on the other end picked up.

"_Yes? What is it?_"

"Danzo? This is Itachi. I have something I need you to take care of."

* * *

Naruto slowly slipped back into consciousness, blinking tiredly. His whole body felt sore, as if he had just participated in a long-distance triathlon. He frowned due to his discomfort.

The blond looked up at the ceiling, feeling strangely disoriented. For some reason, it seemed that the blinds in his apartment were closed, making him unable to guess at what time of day it was. His bed felt extra comfortable today, too, which was nice. Strange, albeit, but nice.

It was when an unfamiliar painting on the wall came into his hazy sight that Naruto began to realize that something wasn't right. What the...? He didn't own any paintings...

Then, it all came flooding back to him.

"HOLY _SHIT_!" Naruto screamed, sitting straight up in the bed. This quickly proved to be a bad move, however, as a fierce pain shot up his spine.

"Ow, ow, _ow_...!" he hissed, flopping back on the bed in an effort to help quell the discomfort. It was then that he realized he was aching all over. He mentally cursed Sasuke to hell and back. He would _kill_ that bastard...!

Speaking of the Uchiha, where was he?

A strange sense of disappointment rose up in Naruto's chest when he realized the other man wasn't with him. He would have thought... Well, he thought that the bastard would've still been here when he woke up.

Naruto shook his head. What was he, a _chick_? Something like that shouldn't bother him at all! And it didn't. Nope. He just... He must have eaten something bad at that stupid party yesterday. That was it.

Come to think of it, he had left the banquet pretty abruptly yesterday. He hadn't even told anyone. His team wasn't worried, were they?

Suddenly, an image of an enraged Tsunade flashed in his mind.

Naruto couldn't help it. He whimpered. He was _dead meat_! This wasn't good!

That was it. He needed to get out of here. That is, get out of here, and then immediately report to Tsunade. Maybe if he got there as fast as he could, she would spare his life. Besides, it was obvious that Sasuke wasn't waiting for him...

He was quick to push that thought to the back of his mind, though a slightly bitter feeling remained in the pit of his stomach. He shook his head. He needed to get out of here!

Naruto moved slowly, so as not to disturb his aching body too much. His hesitant movements brought attention to the crusted over substance that graced his inner thighs, butt, and belly. The blond blushed a bit before wincing at the thought of how it had got there. Damn it, he didn't need any more reminders...

Finally, he was able to ease his body off of the bed. Looking around, he was quick to spot the connected bathroom and his discarded cloths. Curiously, though, his gun was nowhere to be found. Great, now Tsunade _and_ Tenten were going to kill him. Tenten had told him that the firearm had been one of her best handguns! Once again, he mentally cursed the Uchiha that had put him in this situation.

Naruto hobbled into the bathroom and washed off the sweat and cum sticking to his body as quickly as he could with a wet washcloth, a light blush dusting his cheeks. When he deemed his appearance to be good enough, he went back into the bedroom and grabbed his discarded clothes. Somehow, he managed to cause only minimal pain to his poor body as he got dressed back into his suit. He only put on his dress shirt, pants, and underwear, not wanting to bother with the jacket or tie.

When he was dressed appropriately enough to go back out into public, Naruto headed over towards the door, an unmistakable limp still in his step. Hoping he could remember the way out of the mansion, the blond firmly grasped the doorknob and turned it, only to find...

It was locked?

The hell? Naruto furrowed his brow before trying to turn the handle again, only to get the same result. Yep, it was definitely locked. The blond growled. That _bastard_...! How was he supposed to leave if the door was locked? Did Sasuke not want him to go or something?

Naruto determinedly ignored the sudden fluttery feeling in his chest.

No, this was no time to get distracted! He needed to get out and report to Tsunade!

And if a part of him was telling him that he should stay... Well, he was just chalking that up to the fact that he hadn't been able to explore the mansion and look for evidence like he had wanted to. Unfortunately, he probably didn't have time to do that now. Who knew when a random maid would walk in and stall his escape attempts?

Now, if he couldn't get out the door... Maybe the window?

Naruto quickly headed over towards the window and moved to yank it up. To his joy, it effortlessly opened. He looked down, only to notice that he appeared to be on the third or fourth floor. Ha! As if something like _that_ was going to stop the amazing Naruto Uzumaki!

"Leaving so soon?"

The 'amazing' Naruto screamed like a little girl.

Clutching at his chest, the blond spun around only to find himself face to face with an emotionless Sasuke Uchiha.

"Bastard! You...! Why...! _Bastard_...!" Naruto ground out, still trying to calm his rapidly beating heart.

Sasuke raised an eyebrow, obviously unimpressed. He then held up some pills and a glass of water, gesturing for the blond to take it. When Naruto only shot him a confused look, he explained, "I thought your body might be feeling sore from last night, so I went ahead and got you some pain killers from the kitchen."

"Oh..." Naruto said, somewhat at a loss for words. So this was why the bastard has left? To get some pills for him? Well, that made the situation... _different_... he guessed... maybe... "Why did you take so long getting back if you only went to the kitchen?" he asked, a little confused and suspicious. It seemed like he had been alone in the room for a while now.

"The kitchen is far away," Sasuke replied, his expression giving nothing away.

There was a short pause. "Thanks for getting it, then, I guess," Naruto finally said, reaching out to take the proffered items. He assumed that, in a place like this, it _would_ have taken a while to get to the kitchen.

Sasuke waited patiently as Naruto took the medication. When the blond was finished, he spoke again. "You might not want to try escaping out that way. Even if you somehow manage to get to the ground without setting off any alarms, trained security guards are constantly circling the grounds with their dogs. Escaping is futile."

"_What_?" Naruto yelped. It couldn't be! While what Sasuke described wasn't anything unusual for someone who was filthy rich, it was going to make things a _hell_ of a lot more difficult. Plus, with the way Sasuke had spoken, he could tell that the man was dead serious—as if escaping from this place really _was_ impossible. He couldn't help but feel a little unnerved. He needed to get out of here!

"You won't be leaving until you're authorized to do so," Sasuke went on, ignoring Naruto's indignant squawks. "As my... _guest_, I am your only key to authorization. Keep that in mind, dobe."

"You can't just keep me here!" Naruto yelled, a slightly panicked edge to his voice. "Bastard, I'm a cop! I know this is all sorts of illegal, and I have no qualms with throwing your pale ass in jail!"

The Uchiha rolled his eyes. "Hn. Idiot, I never said anything about keeping you here. I was telling you how things are."

Naruto paused. "_Oh_..." The blond appeared to contemplate this for a moment. "I guess you didn't."

"For a cop, you're really stupid. Has anyone ever told you that?"

"Yeah? Well, even for an asshole, you have a surprisingly shitty personality. Has anyone ever told you that?" Naruto mocked, sticking his tongue out and donning a taunting expression.

Sasuke smirked.

Naruto glared.

"If you keep sticking your tongue out like that, I won't be responsible for my actions," Sasuke warned, his expression and voice suddenly taking on a creepy edge.

Naruto's eyes widened at the threat. He was quick to stuff his tongue back into his mouth, but it seemed the damage had been done. Sasuke advanced towards him, and the blond cop was more than a little wary about the look on the other man's face. He took a few steps backwards.

When Naruto's back hit the wall behind him, he knew he was screwed. Probably both figuratively and literally, too, if the events from earlier were anything to go by.

A pale hand slammed into the wall beside his head.

Really... How did he get himself into these sorts of situations?

As Sasuke slowly leaned his head forward, creepy grin still on his face, Naruto desperately worked to recall the years of training he had gone through. Damn it, the Uchiha had another thing coming if he thought he was just going to offer his ass to him on a silver platter!

Working mostly on instinct, Naruto yelled out, "This is defensive maneuver four, bastard!" before carrying out a move intended for breaking an opponent's nose, potentially ending their chances of ever having kids, and—once they'd hit the ground—ended with a knee pressed harshly against the sternum. It had been a part of what he had learned during his training, and he was suddenly very glad for it.

It probably would have worked, too, if Sasuke hadn't been anticipating some sort of resistance from his dobe.

Just as Naruto lashed out, Sasuke grabbed his wrist and twisted his arm behind his back. Not even a moment later, the blond found himself face to face with the pale blue paint that decorated the room's walls. "Ouch! Damn it!" Naruto cursed, more out of surprise than from any actual pain.

Just as Naruto was about to shove the heel of his foot sharply down on Sasuke's instep and attempt defensive maneuver six, the Uchiha leaned his head forward so that his mouth was right beside his opponent's ear.

"You know," Sasuke whispered, voice smug, "just because I didn't come out and say that I was going to force you to stay here doesn't mean that wasn't my plan."

Naruto had to repress the urge to shiver. Blue eyes wide, he let out a choked, "Huh?" before he noticed his vision getting blurry. Suddenly, an overwhelming sense of fatigue washed over him, and he knew he was only seconds away from passing out. What the...?

"Looks like those pills I gave you are finally taking effect," Sasuke chuckled. "Night, dobe."

What? That bastard! He'd drugged him? That ass... hole... son of a... bi... tch...

Sasuke easily caught Naruto when the man's body suddenly slumped forward.

As the Uchiha looked down at the sleeping idiot in his arms, he allowed himself a small, rare smile.

* * *

"Where..." a deadly voice started, "the _fuck_ is the brat?"

Tsunade glared bloody daggers at the three haggard looking people standing before her desk, her posture leaving no doubt that she wanted answers _now_. Neji bravely stepped forward. Behind him, Shikamaru and Tenten mentally wished him luck.

"Tsunade-sama, I am sorry to say that we are currently unaware of Officer Naruto Uzumaki's whereabouts," the brunet replied, his voice and eyes clearing reflecting the worry he felt for the blond.

"I think I fucking gathered that, Hyuuga," Tsunade hissed. Her hands, which had previously been resting peacefully on her desk, clenched into fists. "Let me rephrase my question: Why, _eleven hours_ after the idiot went missing, are we still unable to locate where he is?"

Neji, Shikamaru, and Tenten winced.

Neji took a deep breath before replying. "We can only assume, based on reports from witnesses, that Officer Uzumaki followed Sasuke Uchiha into his limo after a brief scuffle involving an unnamed gunman and aforementioned Sasuke Uchiha. Therein lies the problem. We have no way to determine where the Uchiha took him. He could have... Well, he could have taken Officer Uzumaki _anywhere_. Not to mention, there are some places that we just can't check. Not without a warrant." While he managed to keep his professional tone, his voice wavered at the end. He had already lost his father. He didn't want to lose anyone else... Even if it _was_ just a blond idiot he met the other day...

Tsunade growled, but otherwise managed to keep her composure. Her calculating eyes regarded the three people before her for a long moment. Then, she stood.

"I want you each to keep doing your damnedest to find Officer Uzumaki. And when you do, bring him to me so that I can _strangle_ him," she commanded.

The Neji, Shikamaru, and Tenten nodded before scurrying as fast as they could out of the police chief's office.

Tsunade fell back into her chair. Her angry expression melted, and a troubled look replaced it. God, she needed some sake...

Before she could go and take out a bottle from one of the stashes that Shizune had yet to find, the phone on her desk started to ring. Growling in frustration, she yanked the poor device up and gripped it with more force than was probably necessary. "What is it?" she demanded, really not in the mood to deal with anymore stupidity.

"_Ah, Tsunade. You're as charming as always,_" came the voice from the other end of the line.

Tsunade recognized the voice immediately. "Mayor Danzo," she spoke, her eyebrow twitching slightly, "forgive me for being blunt, but I'm busy right now. What do you want?"

"_I'm contacting you about your busy schedule, actually. I've been informed you recently started work on the Uchiha case. I am now reli__e__ving you of that duty. You may now focus on other matters_," the man, Danzo, spoke, sounding smug.

Tsunade's mouth dropped open. She might have been glad that no one was there to witness that little indiscretion had she been able to focus on anything other than the words that had just come out of the mayor's mouth. "What are you talking about? You can't..." she mumbled, still trying to get over the shock.

"_Chief Tsunade, you don't seem to understand. I am _ordering_ you to call off your men._"

The blonde in question growled, gripping the phone in her hands with a dangerous force. The device made an ominous _creaking_ noise, as if it were about to break in half. She somehow managed to resist the urge to cuss out the man on the other end of the line.

"Mayor Danzo, you listen here," Tsunade hissed. "We've already started to work on this case, and we intend to see it through until the end. If you don't—"

"_I've already assigned a specialized force to take care of this matter. You and your cops are no longer needed_."

"That is a _lie_!" the blonde snapped. "Don't even try to feed me that bullsh—"

"_Language, Tsunade_," Danzo murmured on the other end of the line, sounding mildly amused.

Tsunade growled.

"_It is no matter of mine if you choose to believe my words or not. Either way, we both know you must do as I say. Regarding the Uchiha case, you will call off your men immediately. That is all._"

There was a brief _click_, and then the line went dead.

Tsunade slammed the phone back into its cradle, her expression mirroring the anger she felt. She took a deep breath in order to try and keep her cool, though it didn't help much. _Damn you, Danzo...!_ she thought, frustrated.

After a few moments, the woman wearily dropped her head into the cupped palms of her hands. "Brat, you'd better be okay..."

* * *

Naruto was having the strangest dream.

Now, normally, he was used to having pretty weird dreams—like that one of him floating in a gigantic bowl of ramen while wearing a swimsuit made of noodles, for example—but this one took the cake.

"Hello?" he called, looking around. The words echoed off of the walls, which were bare save for the pipes that crisscrossed over them. The sound somehow made the desolate area seem even more ominous.

Naruto _knew_ he was dreaming, but he didn't know how he was supposed to proceed. Did he just stand here until he woke up? That sounded boring.

Suddenly, he felt his whole body being tugged to the right, as if someone had suddenly pushed him over. After regaining his balance, he looked over and saw a hallway he could have sworn wasn't there a minute ago. Oh, well. Time to explore!

Confident that no imaginary dream monsters would be able to get the drop on _him_—Naruto Uzumaki!—he headed down the hall. The scenery didn't change much as he walked, but as he followed down the path, he began to get the feeling he was getting closer and closer to someplace important.

However, when a sitting figure with a familiar duck-butt hairstyle gradually came into view, Naruto figured out that that it wasn't so much of some_place_ that was important, but rather some_one_.

"Oi, Sasuke!" Naruto called, speeding up as he spotted his... Well, what _was_ the Uchiha to him? A boyfriend? Lover? One night stand? The blond decided not to think too deeply about it.

"Hey, do you know where we are? This place sure is wei..." the cop's voice trailed off as he got closer. His eyes widened. "Sasuke?"

In front of him seemed to be Sasuke all right, but... There was one major difference. This Sasuke appeared to be six or seven years old. And, as Naruto finally got a good look at him, he realized with a jolt that the boy was _crying_.

Before Naruto could say or do anything, the scenery suddenly changed. No longer was he in a depressing hallway, but instead a bright, colorful place. The blond had to squint as his eyes adjusted to the sudden light. "The hell...?" he muttered, confused. Just what kind of 'shrooms had he been sniffing before he'd fallen asleep? This couldn't be normal.

When he was finally able to see and make sense of his surroundings, Naruto looked around only to find that he was in a field. He mentally groaned. He sure was having a cheesy dream. Couldn't he go back to the ramen one? He had liked that dream.

When a soft sniffling noise caught his attention, the cop looked down and saw with much surprise that mini-Sasuke was still there. Somehow, the boy didn't seem to notice either the abrupt scenery change or Naruto. Suddenly feeling supremely awkward—he had never been good at dealing with crying people—Naruto bent down and placed a hand on the boy's upper arm.

Even though he was only touching mini-Sasuke's arm lightly, Naruto was a little surprised when the boy gave no response. "Sasuke...?" he asked, his voice careful. Still, the Uchiha gave no indication that he realized the other was there.

Naruto hesitated, unsure, before deciding to try again. "Hey—"

Mini-Sasuke's sudden sniffle interrupted him. "W-Why has brother been so c-cold lately? What i-is...? I h-haven't..." The boy, seemingly unable to continue, trailed off, shivers and sobs racking his body.

Naruto's eyes softened, his confusion and concern growing as he listened to the Uchiha's wavering, teary voice. He shook his head, clearing his suddenly scattered thoughts. "Sasuke..." he began, though he wasn't entirely sure the boy was listening, "I don't... I don't know what's going on, but it'll be okay... you know? So just... just cheer up, okay? I'm here... I'm right here for you..." The blond gently stroked the other's back, hoping to sooth him.

Mini-Sasuke looked up, his crying eyes hesitant, but hopeful. Naruto blinked, momentarily confused. So the Uchiha _had_ been able to hear him...?

"Dobe, it's time to wake up."

The voice—coupled with a sudden hand on his shoulder—caused Naruto to spin around so fast he almost gave himself whiplash.

Behind him stood the Sasuke Uchiha he knew, decidedly older than mini-Sasuke and wearing an apathetic expression. Naruto jumped, startled. What the fuck...? He wasn't sure if he should be relieved or disappointed that the bastard he knew and loved was back.

"Huh?" Naruto asked, a little dumbfounded.

Sasuke sighed and shook his head. "It's time to wake up," he repeated. "Come on."

The Uchiha suddenly grabbed his wrist and hauled him back to his feet. Naruto looked behind himself just in time to see mini-Sasuke wiping his eyes with his hand before the boy and the scenery around him faded to black. Shocked and mostly following his instincts, Naruto cried out and lunged to grab the disappearing boy, but to no avail. In the blink of an eye, the tiny Uchiha was gone. His heart stopped.

"_SASUKE_!"

Naruto's eyes snapped open, his whole body seeming to jolt up and out of the bed he was laying on. His breathing was harsh, and he shaking so badly that he would have feared he was having some sort of seizure if he had the time to actually care. He tightly gripped the sheets around him, his knuckles turning white. "Sasuke... Dream... It was... Sasuke..." he frantically mumbled out, not yet entirely coherent. He knew... He _knew_ it was a dream, so why had he reacted that way? Why couldn't his heart stop pounding? It was just a dream! Besides, he hardly knew the Uchiha! Even if they had done... _that_...

"Idiot, calm down before you hurt yourself."

Naruto shakily raised his gaze, his heart slowing back down when he realized that Sasuke was sitting on the bed next to him, his back propped up by some pillows and a book in his hands. Sasuke... Sasuke was safe...

Sasuke raised an eyebrow at the other's dazed looked, but seemed to decide to ignore it. "You've been out of it for a long time," he began. "I guess our previous activities really wore you out, huh?" The Uchiha smirked.

Naruto shook his head, trying to clear his strangely hazy thoughts. Man, he must have _really_ been out of it... What had he been doing? He felt like it was important, but he couldn't remember...

"Even calling out my name in your sleep like that... I didn't realize I was _that_ good, dobe."

That sufficiently snapped Naruto from his thoughts. Face turning a bright red, he stuttered out, "Hey! Bastard, you weren't that great! I was just dreaming! About... Um..." He wracked his brains, coming up blank. "Well, I don't remember what it was about. But I know it wasn't of you banging me, jerk!"

"Sure it wasn't," Sasuke said, smirking. He sent a knowing, condescending look towards the blond.

Somehow, Naruto managed to turn even redder. "It wasn't!" he defended, frantically waving his arms for emphasis.

"Right. Of course."

"Stop! Stop talking like that right now, bastard!"

"Oh? I'm sorry, I can't say I know what you're talking about."

"Like that! Like...! Like you're all superior and know better! Because you don't! Yeah!"

"Whatever you say, dobe. Pray tell, if you remember so much, why don't you tell me the last thing you recall?" Sasuke asked, adding a slight leer to the end of his words.

Naruto's forehead scrunched as he thought. He had a headache, and that strange feeling—the one telling him that he was forgetting something—just wouldn't leave him alone. He shook his head, dispelling the feeling. The headache remained, however. "Hmph... As if I need to tell you... You were a pretty active participant, bastard! " He looked determinedly at the blankets around him, his sudden embarrassment making him unwilling to meet Sasuke's eyes. Damn it... Why did Sasuke want him to tell him that he last remembered the sex they had had? To embarrass him? Well, it wasn't going to work!

"Oh?" Sasuke smirked again. He leaned towards Naruto, his dark eyes strangely wary. "Did it start off like this?" he spoke, grabbing Naruto's chin and lifting it up so that their eyes met. Before the blond could react, he closed the short distance between them. Their lips briefly met, until Naruto—really resembling a tomato at this point—purposefully pushed the other man away.

"That is _not_ going to work this time!" the blond announced, looking extremely flustered despite his words. "My ass still feels sore, and..." Naruto trailed off.

There was a brief moment of silence.

Finally, Sasuke broke it. Glaring at the wall—feigned anger was much easier to deal with than embarrassment—he spoke, "Listen... Go on a date with me."

Naruto's eyes widened, and, mortifying as it was, he heart beat a little faster. "What...?"

"You heard me," the Uchiha mumbled roughly, still unable to meet Naruto's gaze.

A huge smile broke out onto Naruto's face. Was the bastard...? Was the bastard actually _blushing_? His cheeks looked a little red, and... Oh, God, he was!

Suddenly looking very much like the cat that caught the canary, Naruto leaned forward. "Are you asking me or ordering me?" he asked cheekily.

"Hn."

Naruto laughed. "Don't be so embarrassed, bastard! I mean, I'm Naruto Uzumaki! I'm just so amazing it's understandable you'd fall for me and want me to go on a date with you."

Sasuke glared at the wall even harder. It was a little incredible that it didn't shatter under his gaze. "Just answer the question," he demanded.

"Oh, so it _was_ a question?" Naruto grinned.

"Dobe..." Sasuke warned.

Once again, the weird feeling that he was forgetting something seemed to take over his senses. Naruto pushed the feeling away, deciding to think about it more later. He grinned even wider. "Fine, fine! I _suppose_ I can take some time out of my very busy schedule to—Ah!"

Sasuke cut off whatever he was going to say, leaning over and tackling him. The dark haired man leaned over him, the tiniest of smiles on his face. "You're a tease, Uzumaki."

Naruto grinned cheekily in response.

* * *

"_So you haven't heard from him, either?_"

Iruka shook his head helplessly, though he knew Sakura couldn't see. "No, I haven't," he said, his voice strained. He pressed the cellphone even closer to his ear, as if doing so would give him the answers he needed. "That Naruto...! Where could he have gone?"

"_I really don't know!_" Sakura spoke from the other end of the phone, her voice high pitched and panicked. "_Tenten just contacted me, and I guess he hasn't been seen since that stupid, stupid party the other day, and I just...! I just...!_" The poor girl sounded close to tears.

"It's okay, Sakura," Iruka said, keeping his voice soothing despite the anxiety bubbling in his chest. "Naruto is just... Well, I don't know what he's thinking, but I'm sure he's fine. You need to calm down. Panicking won't help anyone."

"_But it's my fault! I _told_ him! I told him before he left that he needed to be careful! I told him he needed to _promise_ me, but he didn't! If I could have gotten him to promise, maybe...!_"

"Take a few deep breaths, Sakura," Iruka instructed, bringing out his best 'teacher voice.' "Just a few deep breaths..."

Iruka paused long enough to allow Sakura to follow his order. When the other end was silent again, he continued, "You and I both know Naruto wasn't going to allow anything to hold him back. He gets very determined. We'll both go look for him, okay?"

"_Okay_..." Sakura whispered, her voice small.

"Now, Lee-san is currently worrying himself to death behind you, isn't he?" Iruka smiled slightly when he heard Sakura's quiet gasp. Really, Lee and Sakura were too predictable. Of course he was able to guess that. "I'm know the daycare is still open, so just go and drop your son off there. You and Lee-san can go check the places Naruto frequents on the west side of town. I'll take the east. If we find anything, we'll call each other. Sound good?"

Iruka heard Sakura gulp, obviously still trying to calm herself down. In his mind's eye, he could practically see Lee soothingly rubbing her back.

"_Yeah_," Sakura agreed. "_Let's do that. Thank you, Iruka-sensei_..."

Iruka smiled kindly, even though he knew Sakura couldn't see. "Alright. Stay close to Lee-san, okay?" He knew Lee would watch over her and keep her safe.

"_I will_," she promised. "_Bye, Iruka-sensei. I'll call you if I find out anything_."

"I'll do the same. Bye, Sakura."

There was a _click_, signaling the end of the conversation. Iruka didn't even hesitate, grabbing his light jacket and dialing another number into his cell phone. It rang once, and the muffled voice on the other line greeted him just as Iruka was heading out the door.

"Kakashi? I'm sorry. I know you're probably busy, but I really need your help..."

* * *

Naruto stared up at the ceiling of Sasuke's room, his face strangely blank as he thought. Sasuke had left earlier when a maid had come and whispered something in his ear. The Uchiha had nodded and said he would be right back, but...

It felt like he had been gone _forever_.

And it had only been ten minutes!

Since Sasuke had left, all Naruto could do was think. He kind of wanted to explore, but he had heard Sasuke click the lock into place as he had left. Not only that, but he somehow knew that trying to escape out the window would be futile. Not that he wanted to, but he was starting to feel a little stir-crazy. The stupid feeling that he was forgetting something was really bugging him.

He knew that whatever he was forgetting was important. He _knew_ that. It was what his instincts were telling him, and he never ignored his instincts. They had saved his life on more than one occasion, after all.

Could Sasuke have anything to do with it? He wasn't sure. Even though he had only met the bastard the night before, he could already tell he was manipulative and stupidly smart. He wanted to trust in Sasuke, though. Plus, he was constantly being told he shouldn't jump to conclusions, so... He'd believe in Sasuke until he was proven wrong. Innocent until proven guilty, as was the saying.

Still, was that really the right thing to do? Something was telling him he needed to be more suspicious.

Naruto groaned, pressing his face deeper into the feathery pillow. He hated thinking!

And it _still_ felt like he was forgetting something!

* * *

Itachi stared out his office window and down at the lush greenery below. The Uchiha grounds really were beautiful...

Sasuke had just left his office, after they had finished discussing the current state of affairs.

His gaze moved up to the sky, as blue as he had ever seen it. It was the middle of the day, and one could tell. Itachi could tell. So clear and blue... And the grass was so green...

_Brother, look at how beautiful it is outside! Can we go and play? Please? _

Itachi shook his head, dispelling the sudden memory that threatened to be brought to the forefront of his mind.

He looked at his hand, which lightly rested against the window. His fingers curled in on themselves. Itachi closed his eyes and rested his forehead on the glass. It was warm, so warm...

He would protect his only remaining family. He would protect his little brother. He would protect Sasuke.

* * *

"Oi! Hurry it up, bastard. You're slowing me down!"

Naruto grinned and picked up his pace, practically running down the street. Sasuke rolled his eyes. He wasn't about to sacrifice his indifferent reputation just to run with his dobe to the park. Hell no.

Seeing that his taunting was having absolutely no effect, Naruto stopped and turned back around to face Sasuke. "You're no fun!" he exclaimed, glaring.

Sasuke rolled his eyes again, unable to stop himself. This idiot... "Hn," he dismissed.

"We really need to work on improving your vocabulary," Naruto admonished, crossing his arms.

"You're one to talk, moron. I'm surprised you even know a word like 'vocabulary.' That's, what? Five syllables? I'm impressed." Really, it was almost too easy to rile up the dobe.

"Hey! What did you just say to me?" Naruto demanded, his fists clenching.

"Oh, I'm sorry. Which word was it that you didn't understand? Perhaps 'surprised' or 'impressed'? Or maybe 'syllables'? If you really need me to, I can try and dumb down the things I say for you." Sasuke smirked. Not only was it easy to rile up Naruto, but, silly as it was, he enjoyed knowing that he had the other's full attention. The fact that the blond was wearing his clothes was also nice. It was something that had come about due to the fact that the only clothes Naruto had at the Uchiha mansion had been his tux, which was decidedly dirty and much too formal for what was going to be their first date.

And what was to be their first date, one may wonder?

The park. The fucking _park_, of all places.

What were they, five?

Sasuke would have preferred to go to someplace with a little more class, but Naruto had insisted. The blond hadn't wanted anything fancy, and had informed the disgruntled Uchiha that they could have just as much fun playing on a playground as they could have if they had gone to some 'stupid, five-star restaurant where a poor, innocent blond could get shunned and sneered at just for picking up the wrong fork.'

Yes, those were the idiot's exact words. If you asked Sasuke, he was overreacting again. However, when he had tried to inform the other of this, he had been effectively ignored.

Honestly, Sasuke couldn't even remember having spent so much time with a single person in all of his life. Since they had met the night before, they had hardly been apart. Sure, that had only been a little over half a day ago, but it was still strange for him.

"I'm not falling for your bait this time, Uchiha!" Naruto declared, pridefully jutting his chin in the air. "I'm going to be the bigger man in this situation, so don't think any of your stupid taunting will work against me!"

Sasuke might have been more inclined to believe him if the blond's fists weren't still clenched like he was about to attack.

"Whatever you say," he replied, a decidedly flippant undertone marring his usually apathetic voice.

Naruto directed another glare at the Uchiha, telling him with his eyes that he was not amused.

Sasuke smiled smugly.

"Hmph... Just come on before I kick your ass, bastard."

* * *

A silver-haired figure smiled.

"Looks like I found him," he mumbled quietly to himself. Despite being perched a little dangerously on top of a large, old tree, the man easily pulled his cellphone out of his pocket and dialed a familiar number.

* * *

It wasn't long after that that they arrived at their destination. Considering it was midday on a weekend, it didn't surprise Sasuke when he saw that the place was crawling with sticky, smelly little brats. This really hadn't been what he had expected when he'd mentioned going on a date.

Out of the corner of his eyes, Sasuke noticed the guards that had been discreetly following the pair shifting warily. He couldn't blame them. They were _all_ out of their comfort zone.

Well, all of them except for Naruto.

Sasuke watched with mild amusement as the blond darted forward, blending in so well with the children it was almost creepy. The man was a grown adult; a _cop_! And he... He wanted to go to the park. He was definitely... unique. Yes, unique was the word.

"Hehe... I'm glad I've patrolled some of the neighborhoods close to your house! I'd always wanted to check this place out, but never got the chance. Alright! We're here. What should we do first?" Naruto looked around. To Sasuke's slight horror, he seemed to honestly be contemplating this.

Around them, Sasuke's trained ears picked up the sudden hushed whispering. While he didn't get out much, he was... well-known, to say the least. Out of the corner of his eyes, he saw as many parents quickly shuffled their children away, probably to head back home where they thought it was safe. Naruto seemed to remain oblivious to all of this. Hn.

"_I_ am going to go and sit on that _bench_," Sasuke stressed, already heading for a particularly isolated place. It looked nice and shady, and he knew no one would dare to interrupt him.

"No, no, no!" Naruto insisted, determinedly latching into the Uchiha's arm before he could get too far away. "You're going to play, and you are going to _like_ it. You're a major stick in the mud, and I am going to fix that if it kills me!"

So that's what this was about.

"I don't need to be 'fixed,' idiot," Sasuke said, glaring. "You're over stating things. Besides, in case you didn't notice, the oldest person here who isn't a parent is maybe eight at the most, and I refuse—"

"Hey! I'll have you know, I'm nine and a half!" came a young, slightly squeaky voice from somewhere behind the dark-haired man. Sasuke's eye twitched in annoyance. This brat obviously didn't know who he was.

Naruto snickered.

"Fine. Dobe, the oldest person here is nine, and—" Sasuke's words were once again cut short by the same squeaky voice.

"And a _half_!" the child shouted.

Sasuke turned around, directing his patented Uchiha glare of doom at the child. He was mildly surprised, however, when his eyes met with not one, but three brats. From the overconfident, determined postures they had assumed, he could already tell this wasn't going to end well. God damn it.

"Heh. I bet you're terrified of us, aren't you?" the kid in the middle, the one who had been talking earlier, bragged. He brushed the pad of this thumb against the side of his nose cockily.

It seemed the youngest Uchiha had turned into an idiot-magnet.

"Hardly," Sasuke scoffed, still glaring. Naruto was a little impressed that he could do both at once.

"Of course you are!" the boy spoke, nodding vigorously. "After all, we are Konoha's most feared Team Konohamaru! I'm the leader. My name is Konohamaru—"

"What an original team name..." Sasuke said, sarcasm practically dripping from his words.

Not even pausing at this, Konohamaru continued, "And these are my fellow team members, Udon and Moegi!" He pointed to them each in turn as they were introduced.

"I don't care," Sasuke deadpanned bluntly. The glare he directed at them could have frozen hell. The three backed away instinctually.

"I thought I told you that you needed to be nicer to people, asshole!" Naruto finally said, stepping forward. He placed a hand on Sasuke's shoulder. "Don't worry about him, guys. He's just a jerk."

_'Just a jerk'?_ Sasuke repeated in his head, sending an unamused look at his blond haired companion.

"So, what does your team do?" Naruto inquired, grinning.

"I'm, um, glad you asked!" Konohamaru said, clearly trying to muster up his courage again after having been sent such a killer glare. "We are the forces of good, working to rid this world of evil. And you, mister," he pointed an accusing finger at Sasuke, "_must_ be a villain!"

Sasuke smirked. This kid didn't even know the half of it.

Naruto laughed. "What makes you say that? Sasuke is just Sasuke."

"He was trying to get Hanabi to play with us, but the maid lady who was watching over her took her away as soon as you arrived," Udon explained, wiping away a stray booger that threatened to fall from his nose. "Hey, can I go home now?"

Konohamaru turned bright red. "Th-that's not it at all!" he protested. "It's just that everyone who looks at him can tell he's evil. What, with that pitch-black hair, pale skin, in—"

"Hanabi..." Moegi scoffed resentfully, pointedly looking away from Konohamaru. She was glaring, and her posture clearly reflected that of a woman scorned.

"He looks like a vampire!" Konohamaru insisted desperately, waving his arms around wildly for emphasis.

"Uchiha-sama," interrupted a guard, his voice distinctly monotone. He seemed to appear from nowhere, causing Naruto and the members of Team Konohamaru to jump. Sasuke looked impassive.

"What is it?" the Uchiha asked.

"It's one of his evil minions!" Konohamaru squawked, running to hide behind Naruto for cover.

"If these children are being an annoyance, my men and I can remove them," the guard spoke, very slight uncertainty in his words.

"Hey! You can't do that!" Naruto said angrily, directing a glare at Sasuke and the bodyguard. "Try to, and I, Naruto Uzumaki, will kick your ass!"

"Yeah!" Konohamaru exclaimed, still half-hidden behind the cop.

"Can I go home _now_...?" Udon asked again. He was ignored.

Sasuke sighed, glancing at Naruto from the corner of his eye. Finally, he lifted his chin a little and spoke in a bored tone, "They're an annoyance, but it's nothing I can't handle. Your assistance isn't required. Get back into your position."

The man nodded before bowing and going to do as he was told.

Konohamaru peeked out from behind Naruto, looking hesitant. Naruto grinned at the boy. "He's gone," the blond said, as if to confirm the other's thoughts.

The effect was instantaneous. Konohamaru jumped out from behind Naruto and and puffed out his chest. "Heh. So maybe you're a good guy, after all," he spoke, pointing a casual finger at Sasuke.

Sasuke grunted. He didn't care. As far as he was concerned, the kid could think whatever he wanted. It's not like he had done it for him.

"And you!" Konohamaru exclaimed, turning to Naruto. "What you did... It was, you know, it was kind of cool. So, I'm officially making you my boss!"

"Your boss?" Naruto repeated, a Cheshire cat-like smile appearing on his face. Heh. He liked the sound of that...

"Yes!" Konohamaru confirmed, nodding vigorously.

A small sound of disbelief came from behind the two. "Boss?" Moegi questioned. "But...! But...! Konohamaru, _you're_ our boss!"

"I still am," Konohamaru sniffed indignantly. "It's just that I'm going to be an apprentice of this guy while I lead you."

Udon nodded. "Makes sense to me," he said, grabbing a handkerchief out of his back pocket. He plucked his glasses off of his nose and began to clean them.

Moegi's eye twitched dangerously, but she didn't say anything else.

Konohamaru turned to Naruto. "So! Since you're my boss, you have to teach me all of the cool things you know!" he explained, his eyes strangely sparkly.

Naruto pumped a fist into the air. "Of course! First off, we'll—"

Sasuke coughed pointedly.

The blond quickly backpedaled. "Er, I mean... Um. This guy. Sasuke," Naruto jabbed a thumb in the Uchiha's direction, "We're kinda... Um. You know. Hanging out right now." The word 'date' lingered on the tip of his tongue, but he couldn't bring himself to say it. A light blush dusted his cheeks.

Sasuke scoffed, ignoring the slight sting he felt. Just hanging out, huh? That idiot...

"So... Yeah!" Naruto continued lamely. "Maybe some other time, okay?"

Konohamaru pouted. "No!" he whined. "Why don't we all just hang out together?"

"But I want to go home..." Udon was again ignored.

"I don't think we—"

"I know this area like the back of my hand!" Konohamaru bragged. "If you stick with me, you'll have ten, no, _one hundred_ times more fun! So please, boss?" The sparkly eyes were back.

Glaring, Sasuke finally spoke up, "Beat it, kid. No means no." The threat in his voice was undeniable, telling Konohamaru in no uncertain terms that he had no qualms with calling one of his body guards back.

Naruto's temper flared. "Hey! I know I told you I'd spend time with you, but that doesn't mean you can go picking on people!"

Sasuke didn't miss the way Naruto again avoided using the word 'date.' Well, he'd just use it for him. "Dobe, in case you didn't know, a _date_ is usually a two person activity."

Naruto turned bright red.

Konohamaru and Moegi gaped. Udon looked contemplative.

"Wait..." Moegi muttered to herself, her eyes wide as she tried to piece everything together in her head.

"Bastard! Did you really have to say..." Naruto trailed off, his face so red he was beginning to resemble a tomato.

"Two guys are on a _date_?" Konohamaru finally screeched.

"Wow..." Udon mumbled. "So it really does happen..."

Naruto's face somehow managed to turn even redder.

Sasuke's glare was almost deadly. "Do you have a problem with that?"

Team Konohamaru seemed to shrink under the intimidating man's gaze. "Ah..." Konohamaru gulped. "That is..."

Before Naruto could intervene, an angry voice broke through the tense atmosphere. "_Konohamaru_!"

The boy in question flinched.

A bespectacled man angrily strode over to them, grabbing onto Konohamaru's arm as soon as he was close enough. "You're coming with me right now!" the man demanded.

"Noooo..." Konohamaru whined, but to no avail.

The man seemed to brace himself before lifting his head and sending a too-bright, extremely nervous smile at Sasuke and Naruto. "Ah... Hello," he began, self-consciously pushing his sunglasses higher up his nose. "You're Sasuke Uchiha-san, correct? I... My name is Ebisu, and I'm terribly, terribly sorry that my student has been bothering you. I can assure you it won't bother you again. We'll be taking our leave now."

"Hn."

"Um... Indeed." Ebisu's nervous smile seemed to grow impossibly larger. He tugged more forcefully on Konohamaru's arm. "We're _going_ now," he stressed harshly to the child. Konohamaru pouted, but grudgingly allowed himself to be dragged off.

"Sorry, looks like we have to leave now," Udon apologized, allowing Moegi to grab his wrist as the two turned to follow Ebisu and Konohamaru.

"Um... Bye!" Moegi called, directing an uncertain look at the two as she ran off.

"Aw. They sure had to leave quickly," Naruto commented, rubbing the back of his neck in confusion.

"Whatever," Sasuke grunted in reply. As far as he was concerned, it was better that way, anyway.

As they were watching the four walk off, suddenly Konohamaru started struggling and broke free from Ebisu's grip. Before the man could process what was going on, Konohamaru took off back in Sasuke and Naruto's direction. Ebisu, having learned to expect things like this from his student, quickly recovered and began to chase after him, shouting the whole way.

Konohamaru skidded to a halt in front of Naruto and Sasuke, breathing hard. "Hey..." he said in between breaths. "If you guys are on a... erm... _date_... I would suggest going that way. There's this really big hill, and the view from it is awesome." Konohamaru whipped his head around, eyes widening when he saw how close Ebisu was to catching up with him. "Sorry, gotta go! See you!" With that, the boy once again took off.

There was a brief moment of silence. Naruto was the one to break it. "Well, what do you say? Want to go and check it out?" he inquired.

"Sure." Sasuke smirked. "Either way, it's probably better than the _park_."

Naruto sputtered in indignation. "Hey! The park was a great idea! It's not my fault some of us can't appreciate how awesome it is!"

"Excuse me for not having the body nor the mentality of a five-year-old."

The duo continued to bicker as they walked in the direction that Konohamaru had told them to go. Sasuke's guards followed, skillfully remaining discreet. They didn't even want to think of what their boss would do to them if they interrupted. It was weird for them to see him so animated.

"Oh, hey! I think that's the place!" Naruto said, pointing as a rather large hill came into view. He picked up his pace, wanting to see the 'awesome view' that Konohamaru had talked about. What could it be? A nice view of the city? A flower field? He hoped it wasn't the last one. That would be too girly for him.

"Hey! Be careful! Slow down, idiot!" Sasuke called as Naruto hurried ahead. Did the dobe want to lose his footing and fall? He couldn't afford to lose anymore brain cells if he hit his head.

Naruto ignored this. "Hey, bastard, bet I can beat you to the top!" he announced, jerking his thumb towards the imposing hill.

Sasuke scoffed. He was an Uchiha. He wasn't about to lose his composure over some taunting. "No. I decline," he said simply. His tone left no room for argument.

But Naruto wasn't one to be deterred. "Aw! Come on!"

"No."

The blond frowned. "Fine. Be that way. But I'm still going to get to the top before you!" With those final words, Naruto spun on his heels and took off up the hill.

Sasuke felt annoyance bubbling to the surface. Hadn't he just told Naruto to be careful? Whatever, the blond could just slip and fall for all the he cared. He followed after Naruto at a much more leisurely pace.

Naruto grinned widely as he ran. Messing around with Sasuke like this was so much fun. Just being with him left this strange, light feeling in his chest. Despite how much of a jerk Sasuke was, he wanted to stay with him as long as he could.

Just as he was about to reach the top, Naruto smirked and twisted around to face Sasuke, intent on bragging to him about his victory. However, it seemed the grass was still wet from the heavy rain they had had the other day. He tried to regain his balance, but the uneven slope he was on threw him off and he soon found himself falling. He let out a small, surprised, "Ah!"

Sasuke felt his heart momentarily stop when he saw his precious person begin to fall. He rushed forward, adrenaline pumping through his veins. Working mostly on instinct, he lurched forward and collided with the falling Naruto. The both rolled down the hill in a messy entanglement of limbs and curses, finally stopping when they'd reached the bottom.

There was a brief moment of silence as they both attempted to regain their bearings and assess the damage done to their bruised bodies.

Then, Sasuke's bodyguards were rushing forward. "Uchiha-sama!"

"Are you hurt, Uchiha-sama?"

Sasuke, for lack of better words, exploded.

"You total and complete _moron_!" the usually composed man screamed. "I told you to be careful, and what did you do? You fucking did the exact opposite! You careless _idiot_! What do I need to do to actually get you to listen? Can your pea-sized brain not even comprehend something as simple as 'slow down'? Stop doing stupid things!" Sasuke was breathing hard, his dark eyes glaring daggers at the bruised man beside him.

"Um, sorry?" Naruto laughed nervously and shot Sasuke a sheepish look.

Once again, a small silence permeated the area. Then, suddenly, Naruto burst out laughing, though he was unsure as to why he found the situation so funny. It just seemed silly. There he was—a poor cop, sprawled haphazardly on someone amazingly wealthy and powerful, but also one of the grumpiest people he had ever met. That, coupled with the expressions on Sasuke's body guards' faces and the fact that he had fallen down a feaking _hill_ was almost too much to take.

Sasuke watched the other man for a moment before he gave a small, reluctant chuckle. Damn it, he was still mad! Why was Naruto's happiness so contagious?

As Naruto continued to laugh, Sasuke felt the last of his anger slip away.

He smiled.

"NARUTO _UZUMAKI_!"

Naruto was off of Sasuke so fast, one might have thought the other had physically burned him.

Iruka angrily stomped towards Naruto in a manner reminiscent of their earlier encounter with Ebisu. His attention was fully locked on Naruto, and he looked about ready to spit fire. The blond was terrified.

Sasuke lazily picked himself off of the ground, his expression reflecting his deep annoyance. Who the hell was this man? And how dare he interrupt his time with Naruto!

"I-Iruka-sensei..." Naruto stuttered, his voice high-pitched and nervous. He threw his hands up in front of himself cautiously; whether to help placate his former teacher or provide himself with some sort of flimsy defense was hard to tell.

"You are coming with me _right now_, Naruto!" Iruka stressed, reaching forward and snatching his former student's wrist. His expression would have made even the manliest of men cower in fear, and Naruto was no exception.

Sasuke, however, was. Like hell he was going to let Naruto be taken from him by some random stranger. He turned his deadly gaze onto the teacher, though Iruka was much too focused on Naruto to notice. In a voice that demanded absolute attention and compliance, he spoke, "Just who the hell are yo—"

"Iruka-chaaaaaan!"

A silver blur practically tackled Iruka, appearing to smother the other man with... love?

"K-Kakashi! What do you think you're...? Get off of me!" Iruka demanded, twisting around in a failed effort to dislodge the man from his back. The guy, Kakashi, remained steadfastly attached.

As Iruka growled and continued to futilely flail around, Sasuke and Kakashi's eyes met for a brief second. In that instant, Kakashi's one visible eye—the other was covered by some sort of cloth—narrowed viciously. Sasuke instinctually felt his hackles rise, and he returned the glare.

He could feel it. This man... This man was _dangerous_.

Iruka jostled the silver haired man particularly hard, causing their connection to break. Sasuke immediately and discreetly moved, placing himself closer to Naruto and in between the blond and Kakashi. The only one who seemed to take notice was Kakashi himself, whose eye briefly flickered back in their direction.

"Iruka-sensei...!" Naruto practically screamed, his eyes wide and his mouth hanging open. "Who is this man? This...! This...!" He waved his hands frantically in Iruka and Kakashi's direction, seemingly unable to find the words to finish his sentence.

"Eh? 'Ruka, you haven't told your precious little Naruto about us?" Kakashi asked, his voice dripping with innocence. He nuzzled the crook of Iruka's neck. "Why, we're obviously _lovers_—"

"_Friends_," Iruka interrupted, glaring at Kakashi. He looked like his patience was about to snap. "We're friends. You could even say we're just acquaintances."

Kakashi pouted. "Maa... You're so mean, 'Ruka. I'm crushed."

"Iruka-sensei! What? I...! No! I forbid this!" Naruto yelled, panicked. He pushed past Sasuke, who reluctantly let him do so. The blond latched onto Kakashi's shoulder, pulling at him as hard as he could in an effort to get him off of Iruka. He wasn't going to let this crazy man have his Iruka-sensei! "Let go of him!" Naruto whined, continuing to pull as hard as he could.

"Nooooooo!" Kakashi cried, holding on to Iruka more tightly. "'Ruka, he's trying to separate us! This world is so cruel!" He started nuzzling Iruka's neck again. "But nothing can ever separate us!"

"I thought I told you to let go of me," Iruka said in reply, his voice low and menacing.

Kakashi froze.

Naruto dropped his grip on the man.

Then, chuckling nervously, Kakashi slid off of Iruka's back. "If you insist, love," he said.

"Thank you," Iruka nodded. He turned to Naruto, a demonic glint in his eyes. He took a deep breath—though it appeared to do nothing to calm him—before beginning, "Naruto..."

"HELP! Iruka-sensei is going to kill me!" Naruto screamed, immediately turning on his heels and rushing towards Sasuke. Iruka, quick as a snake, snapped his hand forward and caught the blond's arm, effectively thwarting his escape attempt. Sasuke was about to intervene, but a quick look from Kakashi made him pause.

"You little brat..." Iruka shook and tried to unsuccessfully blink away the tears welling up in his eyes. "You little _brat_..." he repeated, his watery eyes offsetting the glare he tried to shoot Naruto. Finally, his legs gave out and he fell to his knees, dragging a stunned Naruto with him.

"Iru... Iruka-sensei?" Naruto ventured, his eyes wide. He tugged on Iruka's shirt, the familiar gesture a silent question. _What's wrong?_

That seemed to be all Iruka could take. He lurched forward and wrapped Naruto in a hug, the tears now flowing freely. It reminded the two of a time long ago; a time when Naruto was prone to acting out and doing things he shouldn't... A time when the both of them had needed a little reassurance that they weren't alone.

"Hey... Stop it... Now you're going to make _me_ cry..." Naruto mumbled, burying his nose into Iruka's shoulder. True to his word, his blue eyes began to water, though he determinedly kept the tears from falling.

Sasuke looked away from the pair. He wasn't sure what sort of emotions he was supposed to be feeling, but he knew the two deserved a little bit of privacy. He was a little jealous, sure, but he could tell their relationship wasn't like that. A small seed of doubt sprung in his mind, but he was quick to squash it. Naruto was _his_. This was just... a sort of family love, he guessed. Not that he could say for sure, seeing as how he didn't have many personal experiences to base that assumption off of.

"Stop doing reckless things already," Iruka reprimanded, his voice weak. He pushed Naruto away a little, just enough so that he could make eye contact and effectively glare at the blond. "You think I enjoy worrying about you? Because I don't, Naruto."

"I didn't mean to worry you..." Naruto mumbled, averting his eyes and looking like a small child who was being reprimanded for something bad he'd done. Then, suddenly, his brows furrowed. "But, Iruka-sensei, I don't get it. What did I do?"

Sasuke's heart briefly stopped. His expression changed for the slightest second before reverting to his normal blank face.

"What did you _do_?" Iruka screeched in response. He appeared to be barely restraining himself from knocking Naruto upside the head. "Where should I start? You agree to do something stupidly dangerous, run off to do something on your own, and then _disappear_! You'll be lucky if I ever let you leave your home again!" he fumed.

Naruto's expression was strangely blank. He tilted his head to the side. "What are you talking about?"

From the angry look on Iruka's face, this response only served to make him even angrier. "You should know by now that the innocent card doesn't work on me—"

"You're making me jealous, 'Ruka!" Kakashi declared, popping up out of nowhere and embracing both Naruto and Iruka. His visible eye was arched happily as Iruka struggled to get away from him. "Group hug!"

"I thought I told you to get off, Kakashi!" Iruka protested, a prominent blush adorning his cheeks.

"Ah. You did? Sorry, but not in front of the kiddies," Kakashi leered.

"What...? Oh, wait! No! Kakashi, I didn't mean it that way...! No, no, no! Quiet, you!" Iruka's tanned face had taken on such a distinctly red tone, it was a wonder the teacher didn't pass out.

Naruto sat perfectly still, his eyes strangely blank. Sasuke strode forward and grabbed Naruto's hand, pulling the suddenly compliant man up and out of Kakashi's hold. Still holding onto him, he began to walk and commanded, "Come, Naruto."

That seemed to snap Naruto out of his daze, though not completely. "Wait... Bastard, I can't..." he trailed off, blinking slowly. He then shook his head, as if trying to clear his mind and get rid of some pesky thought.

Iruka quickly realized what was going on and sprung to his feet. He was beside Naruto in a flash, Kakashi dutifully trailing after him. "No. Naruto is coming with me right this instant! He's made many people very worried about him, and he is going to apologize to each and every one of them. I'm sorry, but quite frankly, I don't care who you are. Naruto is not leaving with you." Determination shown from his posture; no one could mistake him for a weak man.

Sasuke stared at him. Though his expression was blank, his mind was going to mile a minute. To say he didn't want to leave Naruto—even if only for a short while—would be an _extreme_ understatement, but the scene between Iruka and Naruto relentlessly assaulted his mind.

Finally, Sasuke gave Iruka a short, curt nod. If this was someone Naruto cared about, then he could allow it for a short while. Besides, it seemed like he could trust the man to take care of his dobe.

"Don't I get a say in this?" Naruto grumbled. His face wasn't quiet as expressionless anymore, Sasuke mentally noted.

"No," Iruka snapped briskly. "You don't. Now, hurry up! When Sakura called me, she was almost in _tears_! She's been searching for you nonstop! You should be ashamed of yourself, Naruto!" Iruka turned around, forcefully dragging Naruto back down the path they had taken.

"Sa... Sakura? I worried her?" Naruto's brow furrowed. Why was she worried? Something wasn't right. He recalled the feeling that had been plaguing him all day.

Just... Just what was he forgetting?

Sasuke and Kakashi's eyes once again caught each other as the silver-haired man was turning around to follow after Iruka and Naruto. Kakashi looked decidedly impassive, but the dangerous undertone in his posture was impossible for the Uchiha to miss. Sasuke smirked at him in return. Kakashi nodded before he turned and began skipping after his two companions, happily calling out, "Iruka-chan, wait up for me! You're so cold!"

Sasuke looked up at hill that he and Naruto had been heading for. They'd have to check out the view another day, it seemed. It didn't really matter. He had already taken the necessary measures to ensure that he and Naruto would be meeting up again very soon. He felt a sort of twisted happiness bubble up in his chest.

His bodyguards shifted warily as they stared at their boss.

Sasuke smiled darkly.

* * *

**A/N:** I know I said I wasn't going to continue this. I lied. *dodges tomatoes*

Basically, I'm very easily flattered. When I saw all of your kind reviews, I decided to give in and write more of this since you guys wanted me to. Seriously... 39 reviews? I didn't even expect to get _ten_, truthfully. xD I swear, I love each and every one of you.

Unfortunately, I am a slow writer. I'm sorry about that. I promise I'm working hard to cure myself of my laziness! It's just... It's not working. Hm.

Anyway, I originally wanted to write this whole second part and be done with it. Unfortunately, I like to ramble. So, when I hit 10,000 words (_again_) and wasn't even close to the end, I decided to split it into two. Heck, at this pace I might have to split it into three parts. Honestly, who knows with me?

Also, you all need to thank my wonderful beta, Chibi Chidori, for being so spectacular. Without her, this chapter would have been filled with all sorts of mistakes. Of course, if anyone sees any grammar or spelling mistakes, the fault is entirely my own! One of these days, I'll become a competent writer. Haha.

Speaking of which, I'm probably going to be going back and editing the first chapter of this soon. I've discovered many problems with the first part concerning grammar, and I fear I'll go insane if I don't fix them. Well, more insane than I already am. (Er.)

Oh, and happy Sasuke's birthday, everyone!

~Riuolo


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer**: I _wish_ I owned Naruto. Sigh.

**Chapter 3**

Something was fucking wrong.

Naruto glared at the wall in his apartment as if it had done him some deep, personal crime. To say he was frustrated would be an understatement. Every time—every single time—he tried to think of just what it was he was forgetting, his mind slid off track and automatically started thinking of something totally different. And when he forced himself to stay on track, forced himself to think of absolutely nothing else, his mind went... blank, for lack of better words.

Yes, Naruto Uzumaki was _pissed off_.

"Still no luck?" Sakura asked, her voice coming from the doorway.

Naruto raised his blank eyes, taking in the pink haired woman. He mentally noted the way she worriedly bit her lip and wrung her hands, guilt stabbing him when he remembered that he was the reason she was so stressed out. His immediate instinct was to reassure her that all was well, but he knew he couldn't do that.

"Yeah," he confirmed, looking back at the wall. He didn't want to see her disappointed expression again.

Naruto heard her sigh. There was a brief moment of silence before Sakura sat down next to him, the bed shifting and creaking under her slight weight.

"Just keep trying, okay? I'm sure everything will come back to you soon," she said, rubbing his back reassuringly.

Naruto hummed noncommittally in response, though he leaned into her almost motherly touch. He wasn't sure what he should be thinking, and any form of comfort was welcome.

"Iruka-sensei is almost finished with dinner," Sakura told him, not so subtlety trying to get her friend's mind off of his current predicament. "He made you some homemade ramen. It looks really good.

That Kakashi guy was hanging off of him the entire time." She giggled, her free hand rising to cover her mouth in a half-hearted attempt to muffle the noise.

"Ramen?" Naruto asked, visibly perking up.

"Mmhm," Sakura hummed in reply, a smile on her face as she nodded. If it made Naruto happy, it made her happy.

"Yes!" Naruto cheered, pumping a triumphant fist in the air. Thoughts of what were going on were still nagging at the back of his mind, but he needed a break. Maybe a nice, healing bowl of ramen would do the trick.

"Then let's go eat. You need to get out of your room, anyway. You're not meant to be a hermit," Sakura teased, standing back up and heading towards the kitchen.

"Coming!" Naruto said, hopping up and following after her. If his smile seemed a little forced, Sakura didn't comment on it.

Damn it, he would figure out what was going on if it killed him.

* * *

"Fucking Uchihas! I hate them all!" Tsunade fumed, pacing angrily in front of her desk. Her fists were clenched, and she looked about ready to punch someone out.

Shikamaru wisely stayed in his seat and out of her range.

"For whatever they did to mess with the brat's head, they can all burn in hell! Right along with mayor Danzo!" she continued, cracking her knuckles ominously. "I can't work on this case, huh? Well, fuck you, Danzo! Fuck you! This case is _personal_ now!"

Finally, Shikamaru spoke up. "Chief Tsunade, I know you're angry about what happened with Naruto, but our hands are tied. There's not much we can do," he reasoned. While he also wanted to know what was going on, if only for Naruto and Neji's sake, they couldn't ignore a direct order.

He was really starting to wish he hadn't been left alone with his scary boss. In hindsight, he realized he probably should have begged to go with Neji and Tenten instead of agreeing to help Tsunade. It wasn't like they were getting much work done. Running all over town had sounded like a drag, though.

"There isn't, huh?" Tsunade replied, her lips twitching into a vicious and cunning smile. "Well, maybe not officially..."

Shit. Shikamaru sighed. How was it that he kept getting roped into troublesome situations? Sometimes he hated his life. "That is true..." he agreed warily.

"Shikamaru, call Tenten and tell her about the change of plans."

Shikamaru didn't hesitate to comply, especially after Tsunade started cackling in glee.

* * *

Naruto walked down the dimly lit street, his hands in his pockets and a frustrated expression on his face. He was heading back home from dinner at Iruka-sensei's house, which had been nice. Lately, everyone had taken to inviting him out to do things with them, probably to keep an eye on him.

While being around his friends had helped to clear his thoughts, now that he was alone again his worries were bugging him tenfold.

It had been almost a week since he had last seen Sasuke.

The time away from him hadn't made the situation any clearer to Naruto. His friends—the very friends he knew would never, ever lie to him—had a distinctly different recollection of the night when he and Sasuke had met. His friends had told him, insisted with a certainty and desperation that left little room for doubt, that Naruto had been at the Sabaku banquet that night with the intention of proving that the Uchihas were guilty of many illegal things, including the recent death of Hizashi Hyuuga.

But that didn't make any sense at all.

Naruto briefly closed his eyes and allowed his memories of that night to flash through his mind for perhaps the thousandth time that day.

In his mind's eye, he saw the lavish party he had been asked to attend of behalf of the Konoha police force. He'd been having a boring time and had decided to go out on one of the balconies to get some fresh air, if only to escape the oppressive atmosphere of the many guests.

There, he had met Sasuke. The guy was being his typical bastard self, but before too many words could be traded Naruto had seen the glint of a gun. Working on instinct, he had knocked Sasuke to the ground before he could be shot. There was a scuffle, and Sasuke's bodyguard took the gunman away. He had followed after Sasuke to give him a piece of his mind, and then they had done... that...

Naruto blushed lightly.

If his friends were telling him the truth, then why did he think he was there to represent Tsunade and the police force? It didn't make any sense!

Naruto angrily kicked a stray soda pop can that had been carelessly discarded.

He didn't know what was going on, but he had a feeling Sasuke was behind it. The next time he saw the bastard he was going to punch his lights out.

As if on cue, Naruto's apartment door came into sight. His hand stilled just as it began to reach into his pocket for his keys. Then, it slowly clenched into a fist.

There, looking frustratingly casual, stood Sasuke.

* * *

"Hey, Kakashi…?" Iruka began. He glanced to the side and looked out his kitchen window, unable to meet the other's eyes.

Kakashi looked up from his book, his mask obscuring his gentle smile. "Yes, Iruka?"

Iruka absentmindedly fiddled with the hem of his shirt, seeming to search for the right words. Naruto had gone home about half an hour ago, and ever since he had left the teacher's thoughts had been persistently nagging at him. He just… He couldn't figure out a way to phrase his thoughts without making himself sound like a silly worrywart. Finally, he decided to just go for it.

"Do you think that person, that…" Iruka wracked his memory for the name, "that Sasuke Uchiha, do you think he'll come looking for Naruto?"

Kakashi quietly closed his book, his single eye regarding the man sitting across the kitchen table from him. "Maa… Probably," he replied honestly.

Iruka sucked in a quick breath. Forcing himself to remain calm, he asked, "And Naruto?"

"Out of the two of us, I think you're the one best suited to answer that."

Iruka's hands clenched in to fists. Kakashi's trained eye quickly zeroed in on the movement.

Kakashi nodded. "I take it you don't like the answer to your question?"

Finally, Iruka turned his head away from the window to look at the silver haired man. His face said it all. "Yeah, Naruto… He's too reckless! He always rushes ahead without stopping to think of himself! What if he gets into some real trouble one day, and I can't help him? Naruto… That Naruto…" he trailed off, losing himself to his thoughts.

Kakashi stood up from his chair and walked over to Iruka. He lightly touched the other's hand, and instinctively it unclenched. "Just focus on crossing that bridge when you get there. I'll help you. We'll do it _together_."

Iruka released a breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding. "Yeah…" he agreed. Then, finally, something clicked in his mind. His eyes widened. "Wait, you're not trying to make a move on me, are you? Kakashi, I swear…!" He held up a threatening fist.

Kakashi chuckled and raised his hands, looking innocent. "Why Iruka, I wouldn't _dream _of taking advantage of—"

"Now is not the time, pervert!"

"I'm hurt. I'm just innocently standing here, being accused of things I didn't do…" Kakashi truly looked pitiful.

Iruka snorted. "'Innocently,' my ass."

"And what a fine ass it is," Kakashi observed, directing a look towards the mentioned body part.

"Kakashi…" Iruka warned, his glare venomous.

"I'm just telling the truth," Kakashi defended happily.

Iruka rolled his eyes. "Really, Kakashi, focus. I need to know…" He straightened up, looking Kakashi directly in the eyes. "I need to know what I can do. Just tell me that."

Kakashi 'hmm'ed, appearing to contemplate this. Then, finally, he spoke.

"Against an Uchiha, what _can_ you do…?"

* * *

"You…" Naruto ground out, his teeth gnashing together viciously. He could sense the frustration and desperation he had felt the entire week bubbling to the surface, and he very much wanted to hit something; preferably Sasuke's smug face.

"Me," Sasuke replied simply, raising a mocking eyebrow. "Miss me, dobe?"

Not in the mood to bother with words, Naruto rushed forward and sent a hard right swing right into the side of Sasuke's face. He felt grim satisfaction when the punch connected with a solid _whack_.

The momentum sent Sasuke staggering backwards in surprise. "What the _fuck_?" Sasuke demanded, sending Naruto a vicious glare. His cheek throbbed in pain, and he had to resist the urge to rub his hand over it to help ease the ache. His blond idiot was stronger than he looked.

"What did you do to me?" Naruto questioned harshly, his breathing hard and his expression furious. When Sasuke didn't immediately answer, the blond reached out and roughly grabbed him by the collar of his expensive shirt. "Answer me, bastard!"

Sasuke chuckled, his face morphing into a darkly amused expression. "I wonder…" he trailed off, purposefully riling up Naruto even more. It worked.

Naruto growled in annoyance and snapped his arm forward with the intent of smashing Sasuke's face in. The Uchiha, now prepared for such a move, easily caught the fist. Before Naruto could react, he slipped from the blond's hold and twisted his arm behind his back. Naruto struggled, but Sasuke's grip was unrelenting.

"This is, what, the second time we've ended up in this position?" Sasuke wondered quietly to himself, a small smirk on his face.

"What?" Naruto growled, furious about how he was being manhandled. What was the bastard going on about now? They had never fought like this before!

"Nothing," Sasuke dismissed, shaking his head. He decided to use his position to his advantage and buried his nose into the crook of Naruto's neck, making the man jump in surprise. Just as Naruto was about to protest this, Sasuke spoke up again, his voice a little muffled due to his mouth being pressed against Naruto's shoulder, "You want to know what I 'did' to you, hm?"

Naruto tensed even more, feeling as if he was on the verge of snapping. "Of course!"

"Would you believe me if I said I didn't do anything?"

"No way in hell!" Naruto glared, desperately wishing his hands were free so that he could throw another punch at Sasuke. As _if_ he was about to believe him! Ha!

"Heh," Sasuke mumbled. Naruto didn't quite know what to make of that, so he opted for struggling harder.

Finally, Sasuke loosened his grip on his opponent's arm. Naruto didn't hesitate to take advantage of this and angrily pushed away from the Uchiha. Then, true to his earlier mental promise to himself, he swung his arm around aimed another fist right at Sasuke's smug expression.

Again, Sasuke caught Naruto's arm right before the punch had a chance to connect. "Unlike you, I'm not about to fall for the same thing twice," he warned, his voice strangely monotone.

Though he'd never admit it to anyone, Sasuke's dark words made a nervous feeling wrack through Naruto's body. This guy… Still, despite this he squared his shoulders and yanked his arm out of his opponent's grip. "Ha… Am I supposed to be scared, bastard?" Naruto boasted, puffing his chest out the tiniest bit.

Sasuke ignored this, his attention suddenly focused on what he noticed from the corner of his eyes. He could see Naruto's neighbors peeking out from behind their curtains, and that usually never ended well. Damn it. He'd take care of it later.

"Hey! Are you ignoring me?" Naruto demanded, looking petulant. The nerve of the Uchiha…!

Sasuke glanced back at Naruto. He regarded him for a few moments before turning and heading back down the hall. "Follow me," he ordered.

"What?" Naruto squawked. Did Sasuke think he was stupid? The last time Naruto had followed him, he had ended up with amnesia! At least, he was pretty sure that was what happened… He couldn't really trust his memories, but he was _pretty sure_… Oh, whatever! He wasn't following Sasuke, and that was that!

Sasuke paused. "Do you want answers or not?" he asked, not bothering to turn around and examine Naruto's expression. He already knew what his response would be.

At this, Naruto's teeth gnashed together and he glared. "So what if I do?" he ground out.

"Then you'll stop the unnecessary babbling and follow me," Sasuke answered simply. He started walking again.

A strange sense of déjà vu washed over Naruto. "Che…" he mumbled defiantly, shaking his head.

Then, Naruto put one foot in front of the other and ran after Sasuke. It wasn't the first time, and it certainly wouldn't be the last.

* * *

"Looks like I'm needed back at the station," Tenten informed, snapping her cellphone shut. She shoved the device hastily into her pocket and spun on her heels, heading for the nearest street so that she could hail a taxicab.

"Wait," Neji spoke, stopping her. He frowned. "'_I'm_'? Don't you mean '_we're_'?"

Tenten turned back to look at him, and the way she unconsciously bit her lip told Neji everything he needed to know.

"No," Neji said, shaking his head. "_No_. You're not leaving me out of this now. I refuse."

"Neji…" Tenten sighed. "Listen, you've done enough. It's okay. We'll handle it from here. In all honesty, you shouldn't have become this involved to begin with. We all know he was your father, but you're not actually part of the police force."

Neji glared, refusing to back down. "You all need me, and I can't not be a part of this. No matter what moronic plan it is you guys have up your sleeve, I'm going to be helping you."

Tenten's brow furrowed and she took a few steps towards the Hyuuga. When she spoke, her voice was as determined as it was hesitant. "I know you're hurting right now, but this isn't the right way to go about it. Go home and help the other people in your family who have been affected by this. You all need each other right now."

Unbidden, an image of a tearful Hinata-sama and a strangely stoic Hanabi-sama flashed through Neji's mind. His fists clenched. "This _is_ how I'll be helping them," he explained through gritted teeth.

"What? By running around and risking your own life?" Tenten shook her head. "Somehow, I don't think that would make them happy."

The dull pain in his chest that Neji had been carrying with him since his father's death suddenly throbbed viciously. He resisted the urge to place a comforting hand over his heart. Tenten, understandably oblivious to this, continued.

"I'm worried for you, Neji. You shouldn't be stressing yourself like this; you should be grieving. You're not allowing yourself time to heal."

"No…"

"You're my friend. I don't want you to have to be like this. Besides, what it sounds like we're going to be doing…" Tenten bit her lip again. "It would be better for you if you didn't get involved, you know? I'm serious. I—"

"Just what do YOU know?" Neji exploded.

Tenten jumped, surprised at how loud and angry the Hyuuga's voice had become. What…?

Neji glared for all he was worth. It was true. What _did_ she know? This Tenten, a woman who he had met only the other day, how could she even begin to understand what he was feeling? She couldn't. All she could do was sit there and spout pretty words while he was in real pain; while he was doing all he could to make things _right_ again. In his mind's eye, he could still see his father smiling gently at him… telling him things would be okay… Neji trembled slightly.

Tenten's eyes softened. Finally, she stepped forward and gently touched the Hyuuga's arm. "I'm sorry," she apologized. And she meant it. Seeing him like this… She really, really meant it.

There was a long moment of silence.

Neji looked away, unable to meet Tenten's gaze. "It's fine. Please forgive me for my earlier outburst."

Tenten smiled and shook her head. "There's nothing to forgive. Now, come on! We need to get to the station. From the sounds of it, things are about to get really interesting." She turned on her heels and headed back down the street, eager to find a cab.

"Yes," Neji agreed, following after the brunette. However, just as they reached the road, a certain vehicle driving by caught their eyes.

Tenten gasped. "That's the Uchiha's limo!" she exclaimed.

"It's their license plate," Neji confirmed, looking grim. Without a second thought, the two started racing after the car, though it was futile. Seconds later, the limo was lost to them in the maze of traffic.

"No, no, no!" Tenten cried out, frustrated.

Neji looked back in the direction the limo had came from, his face grim. "Officer Uzumaki's apartment is in that direction…"

Tenten's heart sank in her chest. "You don't think…"

Neji was silent. She took this as the confirmation it was.

"No… This isn't good…"

* * *

Naruto shivered as he took in his surroundings.

"Hey…" he started, looking nervously around at everything. "Where are we?"

They had just exited the vehicle after having driven for a long time, or at least what had seemed that way to the impatient Naruto. During the whole trip, Sasuke had resolutely deflected all of the many questions the blond had thrown at him, leaving Naruto frustrated. However, looking around the place they had wound up… He gulped. Yes, he was definitely feeling more nervousness and agitation—_not deep fear_, he shakily told himself in what he hoped was a firm manner—than he was frustration.

Really… Sasuke couldn't have taken him to… He couldn't. He _wouldn't_.

"This is the private Uchiha family cemetery," Sasuke replied, taking out a set out keys from his pocket and strolling up to the gate to unlock the heavy padlock.

Naruto felt a strong shiver wrack his entire body. "C-cemetery?" he squeaked out. He wasn't afraid, he wasn't afraid, he wasn't afraid…

"Yes," Sasuke confirmed, successfully opening the lock. He began pushing open the gate, and the horrifying creaking noise it made caused Naruto's eyes to bug out.

"But the ghosts…!" Naruto protested, the words coming out before he could stop them. Suddenly realizing what he had said, he hastily clasped a hand over his mouth.

Sasuke paused. Then he turned around to look back at Naruto, an incredulous eyebrow raised. "Don't tell me you're afraid of ghosts," he scoffed.

"N-no!" Naruto denied, shifting warily from foot to foot. He looked as if he was about to bolt. "I'm Naruto Uzumaki! I don't get scared because of stupid, childish things! It's just that if they, you know, attack or something, I don't know if I'm currently properly equipped to defend myself from such an assault, and… Stop smirking, bastard!" A light blush dusted Naruto's cheeks. "Stop it right now! You won't think it's so funny when a ghost comes and starts messing with you! Then you'll be going, 'Naruto, you were right all along! Please, incredibly handsome upholder of justice, save me!'" Naruto said, doing his best to mimic Sasuke's voice at the end and failing.

Sasuke's wicked smirk widened in response to this. "Don't worry, I'll protect you from the 'ghosts,'" he reassured mockingly. "None of them will get you with me around. Now, come on. Do you want your answers or not? I don't want to stand here all day." With that, he started walking through the gate.

"Come back!" Naruto immediately exclaimed, bolting after Sasuke. "D-don't leave me alone, jerk! How am I supposed to, er, properly protect you if you—"

Sasuke gently grabbed Naruto's hand, lacing their fingers together.

"Just stay close to me, idiot. You'll be fine," he reassured. He glanced away, but gave Naruto's hand a comforting squeeze.

This stopped all of Naruto's protesting. He blinked. Then, slowly, a smile lit up his face and he squeezed his hand back. "… You'd better be right," he mumbled, his petulant voice not matching the grin on his face. This was so weird. Just earlier, he and the bastard had been trading fists. But somehow, he couldn't help but feel a little happy. He was certainly still fucking angry, but… Sometimes he wondered if something was wrong with his head.

For a short while, they walked the dimly lit path of the private cemetery in silence. Occasionally, Naruto would warily side-eye some of the tombstones they passed or jump when he thought he saw something out of the corner of his eye, but it wasn't as bad at it could have been. Soon, a building came into view. It was on top of a small hill and was a fair distance away, making it hard to tell what it was.

Just as Naruto was opening his mouth to ask, Sasuke spoke up. "It's a temple," he said, leaving it at that.

Naruto closed his mouth, accepting this. Finally, the two stopped in front of a large, wide tombstone. Before Naruto could lean forward and inspect the information on it, Sasuke began speaking.

"This," he began, his voice even more emotionless than normal, "is where my parents are buried."

A cold chill swept through Naruto's body at the words.

He wanted to say something in response, but what? 'I'm sorry'? Or, 'Oh, hey, both of my parents are dead, too'? Somehow, nothing like that seemed right for this situation. And so, for once Naruto remained quiet, silently urging Sasuke to continue. He did.

"It has been said the Uchiha family is blessed; it has been said that we are cursed. People say a lot of things." Sasuke glanced up at the sky. Naruto followed his gaze, but only saw the night sky.

"Yes, people say a lot of things," Sasuke repeated firmly. "Much of it—too much of it—is stupid, but not all of it…"

Naruto narrowed his eyes in confusion. Finally, he spoke up. "Just what are you saying?"

There was silence. For a while, Naruto wondered if he has said something wrong. But he was just so impatient! He wanted Sasuke to get on with it already. Why was he here? What was wrong with his memories? Had he really been responsible for the death of Neji's father? He didn't want these questions bugging him anymore! He deserved answers!

Finally, Sasuke sighed. "Moron. I just practically told you, and you still can't even connect the dots…"

Naruto scowled, yanking his hand out of Sasuke's. If his hand felt colder, well… He decided not to think about it. "I didn't come here for your vague bullshit, Uchiha," he growled. "I don't want to play games; not with this. Tell me what's going on right now."

"My parents were both murdered."

Naruto stiffened, eyes widening and mouth dropping open from shock.

Sasuke's mind appeared to be elsewhere, his eyes still firmly locked on the sky. He absentmindedly touched his hand to the cheek Naruto earlier punched. It was already starting to bruise.

"No one knows who did it. Even with my family's limitless resources, we never found out. Now it's just my brother and I," Sasuke said, reciting the words as expressionlessly as if he were reading them for a report. It was just the cold, hard facts. It was easier to deal with that way.

Despite the flicker of sympathy Naruto felt, something else started boiling in his chest. _Anger_. Something in him snapped, and his breathing started to become ragged. "You…" he growled, looking truly mad. "You unbelievable selfish, cruel _bastard_. Don't you dare tell me… Do you really think something like that gives you the right to screw up others' lives? You have _no right_! No right!" He punched the closest thing—a tree. The bark dug painfully into his hand, causing it to bleed, but the blond paid it no attention. "Who the fuck do you think you are?"

Sasuke finally glanced back at Naruto, his expression unchanging. "I am Sasuke Uchiha."

"You're a spoiled brat!" Naruto raged. He'd be damned if he let Sasuke off the hook. He still wasn't quite sure what was going on, but if the other honestly thought that… No way.

Sasuke looked mildly disappointed. "You're still not getting it."

"Screw you! I understand everything I need to just fine. I'm not about to just stand back and let you do what you want. You want to know why? Because _I…_" Naruto glared, "am Naruto Uzumaki!"

Sasuke's eyes widened. Then, slowly, a slightly fond expression crossed his features. "…Yes," he agreed.

Naruto let out a breath he hadn't realized he was holding. Seeming to loose his steam, his injured hand gently fell to his side. "Listen, will you let me know what's going on already? I need to know. Depending on your answer, I may or may not rip you a new one." He tried to grin, but it was too forced, too unnatural, to be genuine.

Sasuke's eyes slowly closed. "I just met you the other day. Why should I tell you? Give me one good reason."

"Because I'll help you."

The Uchiha's eyes snapped back open. "What did you say?" he demanded, wondering if he had heard him wrong.

"I'll help you," Naruto said again, the determination in his voice undeniable. He took a step forward. "I… Heh… I'm an orphan, too, you know? And while you're about the shittiest person I've ever met, I won't let you go through all of this alone. Have a little faith."

Sasuke's penetrating, almost invasive gaze seemed to pick Naruto apart, staring him down with such a seriousness that it made the Uzumaki more than a little uncomfortable. Unable to take the silence, Naruto spoke again, sounding a little nervous. "So? Are you going to tell me or not?"

Sasuke released a labored sigh. Then, giving Naruto the tiniest of smiles, he said, "Fine, I'll spell things out for you; only for you. I'd better not live to regret this, dobe."

Naruto returned the smile.

Then, standing right there in front of his parents' graves, Sasuke began.

"I told you earlier that the Uchihas are said to be both cursed and blessed. In a way, I meant this figuratively, but mostly…" His eyes slid shut. "The blessing and curse I'm talking about is a very real thing." Here, Sasuke truly looked hesitant.

Though in his head he was practically screaming for answers, Naruto recognized that what Sasuke was about to tell him was probably a major secret. He could practically see the Uchiha wavering, wondering if all of this was really for the best. "…Go on," Naruto urged seriously.

Sasuke composed himself, nodding slightly in affirmation. "A little over a decade ago, it is said my uncle Madara Uchiha made a deal with the devil himself."

"The devil?" Naruto repeated, eyes widening. That didn't sound good. And why wouldn't Sasuke open his eyes and look at him?

"Yes," Sasuke confirmed. "Don't interrupt me, idiot. Madara wanted more power—power get back at those he felt had wronged him. He also wanted it to be so that no one could ever stand in his way again. My family had many enemies at that time. In exchange for his soul, the devil granted him this power. Madara soon gained an even vaster amount of wealth and skills, and an ability called the sharingan."

Suddenly, a brief flash of a buried memory appeared before Naruto's eyes. '…_we were always on equal footing with each other. No matter what, it was always impossible for one business to completely outdo the other. Most of the time, this caused a lot of frustration on both ends, but, simply put, it worked. However, in the past decade or so, something has changed. At first, everyone thought it was just a brief acquisition of power. It was believed that it would pass or that we would be quick to catch up. However..._' Neji… Neji had said that, hadn't he? Naruto couldn't remember for sure… His heart started to beat just a little faster. "What is the sharingan?" he questioned.

Sasuke finally opened his eyes. Startlingly familiar red eyes, three tomoe surrounding their respective pupils, stared Naruto down.

"That…" Naruto started, wide-eyed. Suddenly, realization set in and he felt his heart sink. "You've used those on me…" he breathed, shocked. When Sasuke only continued to stare, Naruto felt his temper flare. "Well? Did you or didn't you?"

"I did," Sasuke finally replied, looking grim.

Naruto practically chocked on his own spit. "What exactly did you do?" he demanded.

"My sharingan allowed me to enter your subconscious. There, I buried a few memories of our meeting and used my hypnosis to plant new ones," Sasuke revealed, closing his eyes again.

Suddenly, the memory of the strange dream he had had flashed before his mind. So that was what had happened to him… Naruto shook his head, determined to clear his thought. He needed everything answered before he could start doing anything. "And Neji's father?"

At this, Sasuke hesitated again. Finally, he sighed. "I don't know," he admitted.

These words caused a surge of confusion to break through the anger Naruto felt. "Huh?" he said, dumbstruck. "What do you mean you 'don't know'? Either you were responsible for it or you weren't!"

Sasuke shook his head. "I don't know. If anyone were to handle that sort of… affair… it would be my brother."

Naruto stared at Sasuke with a discerning eye, trying to detect any hint of a lie in his tone or posture. Unable to find any, he hesitatingly moved forward and grabbed Sasuke's hand. "Can you give me my real memory of that night back?" he asked.

Sasuke nodded, seemingly unable to speak.

Naruto felt relief wash through him. He was so glad… He hated thinking his memories weren't real. Especially if it was a memory as important as the night he had met Sasuke. Now… "Why did you do that to me?"

Naruto watched as Sasuke's eyes—sharingan still activated—slowly slid towards the grave that held his parents. Then, with a startling rush of clarity, he realized that Sasuke hadn't wanted him to leave, as well. Startling warmth bubbled up in the blond's chest, and a gentle smile lit up his face. Squeezing Sasuke's hand, he sternly said, "Don't ever do something like that to me again. I'll kick your ass if you do."

Sasuke looked down at Naruto's eyes, obviously wondering if he should agree to such a thing. Finally, he shook his head. "Fine," he agreed, his voice soft.

"Good." Naruto nodded, satisfied with this answer. He wasn't quite sure what he would have done if Sasuke had disagreed.

Face blank, Sasuke asked, "So, I suppose you want me to give you your memories back now."

Naruto shook his head. Ha! As if. They had bigger fish to fry. "Nope! We can do that later. Right now, I need you to take me to your brother," he said, determination oozing from him.

Sasuke couldn't help it; his eyes bugged. "You want to see Itachi?" he asked, disbelieving.

"Yes," Naruto confirmed. What was so hard to grasp about that? "You said he's the one with answers, right? So I'm going to go talk to him."

Sasuke glared. "I am not taking you to see Itachi. If anything, I'm going to be keeping you as far away from that crazy bastard as I can."

"What?" Naruto squawked, momentarily thrown off track.

"I'll say it again: I am not taking you to see Itachi."

"What are you…? Hey, listen! This isn't about you anymore!" Naruto yelled, indignant. "This is about a friend of mine, so don't think you can do anything about it!" He was completely serious. There was no way he was going to let the bitchy Uchiha stop him.

"Hn. You say that as if you think it will change my mind," Sasuke said, scoffing.

Sasuke and Naruto began to glare each other down, each one refusing back down.

Then, slowly, a fox-like smirk spread across Naruto's face. "You know…" he began, his voice having a distinctly mischievous edge to it. "It doesn't even matter if you take me to see him or not. I'll go with or without your help. That just means I get to do things my own way." He snickered, already plotting ways he could go about accomplishing his goal.

Oh, God. Sasuke didn't like the sound of that, not at all. Images of what Naruto might do flashed before his mind, each one more impossible than the last. But he knew… he knew… Naruto would probably try to do them. Shit.

Sasuke's eyes narrowed. "You wouldn't."

Somehow, the sly grin on Naruto's face grew even bigger. "Oh, I would."

Sasuke glared harder at the blond. "He probably won't tell you anything."

"Ha. As if I'll let him do that. So, are you going to help me or not?" Naruto asked, his voice deceptively innocent.

Sasuke gritted his teeth. He wasn't usually one to be blackmailed, but he didn't want his dobe to run off after his brother and get himself maimed or killed. Finally, lips pursed in agitation, he decided to compromise. "…Fine, but you'll have to agree to a few stipulations."

Naruto pouted. "Do I have to?" Seriously, in the words of Shikamaru, what a pain.

Sasuke glared back at him. "Do you want my help or not?"

"Okay, okay!" Naruto relented, throwing his free hand up in a form of surrender. "What are your, er, stapleations?"

"The word is 'stipulations,' moron," Sasuke said, rolling his eyes and silently praying for patience. "First, you will not be talking to him by yourself. I will be there. Secondly, do not look him in the eyes. And finally, do not, under any circumstances, allow Itachi to figure out that you are aware of our curse." These rules were of the utmost importance. If Naruto could follow them, then maybe Sasuke wouldn't have to worry as much.

Naruto reluctantly nodded in agreement. Those wouldn't be _too_ hard to follow, he supposed…

Sasuke nodded back, satisfied with this.

Glad that that was out of the way, Naruto tugged on Sasuke's hand. "Now, c'mon. Let's go." He started pulling Sasuke in the direction of the exit, wanting to get out of this creepy cemetery and to Itachi as soon as he could.

As he was being dragged away, Sasuke allowed himself one last look at his parents' graves. He couldn't help but silently wonder… Would they have approved of his blond moron?

Somehow, as he felt a gentle wind briefly surround him, he couldn't help but think that maybe they already had.

* * *

"Ehhh? Itachi isn't here? The hell? I psyched myself up and everything!" Naruto whined, flopping onto a chair in Sasuke's room.

Sasuke looked unfazed. "It can't be helped. My brother has better things to do than sit around here all day, idiot."

"But still…" Naruto mumbled, feeling petulant. He frowned. "I don't want to just sit here waiting. That's so boring. Besides, this is important! Can't you just call him or something?" Damn it, it was of the utmost importance that he talked to Itachi Uchiha right now!

While Sasuke had gotten to a point where he barely gave two shits about Itachi, he couldn't help but start to feel a little sorry for what the man was going to have to deal with as he listened to Naruto go on and on. "No, I cannot. He left a message with the butler about not contacting him unless the matter was urgent, and I'm sure talking to you isn't high on his list of priorities," he dismissed. "You'll have to wait."

"This _is_ urgent!" Naruto burst out, glaring. How dare Sasuke? "You bastard, this is about the death of a person, and you… you…" He felt frustration bubble in his chest, and against his better judgment angry tears began to well up in his eyes.

Sasuke paused, his heart speeding up as he noticed this. "Hey, don't…" he began, unsure of how to go about comforting his dobe. Finally, he crouched down in front of the chair the other was sitting in, making it so they were eye level. "I didn't mean it that way. I know you're worried about your friend. You will get to speak with Itachi, I promise." _So don't cry…_ the Uchiha mentally added.

Naruto blinked rapidly, trying to dispel the tears from his eyes. Finally, it seemed to work. "You'd better be telling the truth," he murmured, voice strangely hushed.

"I am," Sasuke replied. They stayed in that position, looking at each other for a long while. All the while, a dark thought nagged at the back of Sasuke's mind, threatening to drive him crazy. Finally, it seemed he simply couldn't take it anymore. Smiling darkly, he bitterly spoke, "Hn. It seems that you care more about your friend than you do me."

These words successfully confused Naruto. "Huh?" came the oh-so-articulate reply. What was Sasuke talking about?

Bitter tone unchanging, Sasuke continued, "You should know just as well as I do that if Itachi is charged, a negative spotlight will be cast on me. I might even be charged as an accomplice. In case your small brain doesn't comprehend this, that means I could go to jail, dobe."

"What are you…? But…" Somehow, Naruto managed to look even more confused. "I don't get it. You told me you didn't have anything to do with the murder. Why would you be charged, too?"

Sasuke shook his head. He could hardly believe it. "Idiot, don't tell me you didn't realize… Depending on what evidence is found, I could very well be charged and sentenced right along with Itachi."

"But you're innocent!" Naruto protested. Innocent people didn't go to jail, only guilty people did! That was how it worked!

"Hn. Other people might not be so inclined to believe that," Sasuke replied. And it was true. He had many enemies, and he was sure they would love to have both himself and Itachi out of the picture. Besides, while he hadn't ordered the killing, he had done enough stuff in the past that that hardly mattered.

"No," Naruto said resolutely, shaking his head. "That's not going to happen."

Sasuke sighed. "You don't know that—"

"I do!" Naruto interrupted, glaring stubbornly at Sasuke. He wasn't about to let him continue saying stupid things. "I told you I was going to help you earlier, and I am! And, as _strange_ as it is," his voice was practically dripping with sarcasm, "helping you includes not having you sent to jail!"

Sasuke frowned. It seemed that Naruto was trying to avoid reality. "Naruto, there is only so much you can do," he reasoned. "You need to accept that."

Naruto gave a huff of indignation. "Yeah?" he retorted. "You obviously haven't been exposed to enough of my awesomeness. I am Naruto-freaking-Uzumaki. When I say I'll do something, I damn well do it!"

Sasuke let out a noise that might have been a laugh had it not sounded so choked.

"Now, it looks like it's really, really late," Naruto observed, spotting the clock on Sasuke's bedside table. It read 2:42 a.m. He winced. "It's time to stop being an idiot and go to sleep. Call one of your drivers or chauffeurs or whatever so I can go home. I don't feel like walking right now." He tiredly attempted to blink the sleep out of his eyes, but failed. It had been a really long day, and he was so sleepy…

Sasuke shook his head, still unable to believe just how overconfident Naruto could be. Deciding to just let the matter be for now—he'd be sure to discuss it more at length later—he replied, "Fine, but I'm not calling one of my chauffeurs. From the looks of it, you're about to pass out. You're sleeping here with me."

Despite his fatigue, Naruto's eyes popped open. "S-sleep here? With you?" he squeaked out. He glanced at the bed, and immediately a bright blush lit up his face. That was where they had… er… He looked back at Sasuke. "I don't think that's the best idea," he finished weakly.

Sasuke had to resist the urge to roll his eyes. Naruto was being ridiculous. Albeit, kind of cute—not that he'd ever admit that to anyone—but ridiculous. "You're sleeping here. You look like you're seconds away from passing out, and you need all of the rest you can get." Besides, he'd be able to keep a better eye on the moron if he stayed here.

"But…" Naruto trailed off, his self-preservation warring with his need for immediate sleep.

Sasuke decided to go in for the metaphorical kill. "If you sleep here, you'll have a better chance at meeting Itachi."

At this, Naruto straightened up. That… That was very true. "…Alright," he reluctantly agreed. He stood up and followed Sasuke over to the huge bed, but stopped just short of getting in. "I, uh," he wracked his brains for an excuse, "don't have my, er, pajamas. Darn. Looks like I need to go home and, you know, stay there. Sorry!" He began to make a mad dash for the door, but Sasuke quickly grabbed his arm and stopped him before he could get very far.

Sasuke scoffed. "You'll be fine sleeping in your regular clothes for one night. Unless you'd like to borrow some of mine…" he said slyly, a smirk on his face. "Or you could just sleep in your boxers."

"No, no!" Naruto hastily replied, turning red again. "That really won't be necessary. Now that I think about it, my clothes are comfy! _Very_ comfy, even. I'll just sleep in them!" He began tugging at his arm, silently asking for freedom.

Sasuke finally let him go, and Naruto practically bolted for the bed. He got in and positioned himself at the very edge, lying so precariously it was a surprise he didn't fall off. Sasuke smirked at this, shaking his head in slight amazement.

The dark haired man slid in after the blond, choosing a spot closer to the center. He motioned for Naruto to come closer—there was certainly enough room for him to—but the man stubbornly stayed where he was, all the while mumbling to himself about perverts who didn't understand the concept of personal boundaries.

Soon, though, Naruto was unable to resist sleep's call. A few minutes after the blond's blue eyes slid shut and his breathing evened out, Sasuke gently reached out an arm and tugged the Uzumaki away from the edge of the bed. Naruto mumbled something unrecognizable, but didn't wake up. Only after this did Sasuke allow himself to join Naruto in slumber.

When Naruto's eyes finally blinked back open several hours later, the first thing he noticed was the lack of Sasuke. He rolled over, an uncoordinated arm lazily landing where Sasuke should have been. The spot was still warm, so he couldn't have been gone for long…

Naruto sat up, looking around the room. Nope, still no Sasuke. What was going on? He hoped Sasuke wasn't going to make a habit out of this. If he was being forced to sleep in the same bed, then common courtesy said the bastard should at least, y'know, shake him awake and tell him he's leaving or something. Of course, when was the bastard ever polite?

The Uzumaki slid out of bed, looking worse for wear. His hair was even more messy than normal, his eyes were bleary, and his clothes were rumpled. "Sasuke…" Naruto mumbled out, as if saying his name would magically make the Uchiha appear. When it didn't, he took a moment to inspect the room. Really, where could Sasuke of gone off to?

He went over to the door and twisted the handle, eyes widening in shock when it actually opened. For some reason, he thought it would be locked… Naruto cracked open the door and peeked out, not spotting anyone. "Sasuke?" he hesitantly called.

"Were you the one who wanted to speak with me?"

Naruto's body jerked in surprise, and he barely missed hitting his head against the doorframe. Heart racing, he whipped around to face the unfamiliar man, who was suddenly staring at him from the other side of the door.

"Who are…?" Naruto began, but suddenly he trailed off and his eyes widened. This man… he really resembled Sasuke. So that meant… "You're Itachi Uchiha!"

Itachi nodded, confirming this, but otherwise remained silent.

Naruto gulped. "So you are him…" he mumbled to himself. Then, without warning, he began to recall Sasuke's words from earlier.

"…_Fine, but you'll have to agree to a few stipulations."_

"Were you the one who wanted to speak with me?" Itachi repeated, his voice as blank as his expression.

"_First, you will not be talking to him by yourself. I will be there."_

"Tch," Naruto mumbled softly to himself, frustrated. Then, more loudly, he said, "So what if I am?" Damn it, what should he do…?

Itachi turned and began heading down the hall. "Then I suggest you follow me; I won't be here for long." He disappeared behind a corner, and Naruto panicked.

He couldn't let Itachi just walk away like that! But what about Sasuke? Naruto wavered, briefly facing a moral dilemma. He had told Sasuke he wouldn't talk to his brother without him, but Itachi was getting away! Damn it, this was that bastard's entire fault! If he wouldn't of just left him his morning…

As a few moments passed, Naruto's panic grew. What if this was his only chance to talk to Itachi? He needed answers, and if he were to just let the man get away… Shit, shit, shit!

On instinct, Naruto began to rush after Itachi. He caught up just as the man was entering into a room—presumably his office. "Hey!" he called, stopping just short of following Itachi inside. "Where's Sasuke?"

Itachi turned, raising an eyebrow at how familiarly the blond said his little bother's name. He didn't verbally comment on this, however. "He had to leave the premises to take care of some matters. Now, come in," he commanded, stepping aside to allow Naruto entrance.

Once again, Naruto hesitated. Technically, he hadn't given Sasuke his word earlier. He had just, well, nodded, which could have meant anything, right? Right. However, he knew Sasuke wouldn't be happy when he came back if he found out he had talked to Itachi. But at the same time, why should that matter? He had said earlier that this wasn't about Sasuke, and he meant it. Still…

Finally, Naruto shook his head. Very reluctantly, he said, "Sorry, but I can't right now. We'll talk later, oka—AH!" Naruto was abruptly yanked into the room, much to his surprise. The door quickly slammed shut with an ominous _thud_, and that was when the Uzumaki knew he was in trouble. "What did you do that for?" he demanded, rubbing his sore butt to try and ease some of the pain.

"I don't have all day," Itachi replied simply, elegantly taking a seat in one of the many opulent, plush-looking chairs that decorated the room. He gestured for Naruto to do the same, but only received a glare in return.

"I thought I told you I couldn't talk to you right now," Naruto stated through gritted teeth, clumsily pulling himself back onto his feet. Was this guy looking for a fight?

Calmly, Itachi leveled Naruto with a hard gaze, and the blond realized with a start that his eyes were tinted red. Oh, shit…

"_Secondly, do not look him in the eyes."_

"We're talking now," Itachi ordered.

Naruto helplessly nodded before following Itachi's earlier lead and taking a seat.

"Now," Itachi began, professionally interlacing his fingers in a steeple so that they covered most of lower face. "What was so important that you resorted to following me into my own house just to talk to me about it?" His hard gaze was weirdly unwavering, making Naruto wonder to himself just how long Itachi could go without blinking.

Naruto shook his head to clear his thoughts. Now wasn't the time for that! "Yeah, you better believe I have something important to talk to you about," he said angrily. He wasn't about to waste any more time. If Sasuke wasn't here, that was his own fault. "Let's cut to the chase. What did you have to do with the death of Hizashi Hyuuga?"

Though he couldn't see Itachi's mouth, Naruto got the strangest impression he was smirking. "So this was what you wanted to talk about. You _are_ blunt. That's good. After all, I don't have time to sit around chatting with you," Itachi mused absently. Then, louder, he said, "What makes you think I had something to do with that?"

"Don't play dumb," Naruto growled, his eye ticking in anger. Then, recalling what Tsunade had told him the other day about the case he had forgotten about, he continued, "Before he was murdered, Hizashi Hyuuga had been researching you Uchihas. It's not a coincidence that he died as soon as he found evidence about what you guys have been up to, or that the reported documents were nowhere to be found afterwards."

None of this seemed to bother Itachi at all. He seemed to take all of this information in stride, not even batting an eyelash at it. "You shouldn't believe everything you hear. To my knowledge, Hizashi Hyuuga found no such 'evidence'; not like you have described. And even if he did, what makes you think I would have been the only person to have wanted it? If a rumor like that had been spread, I'm sure many would have gone after Hyuuga-san for the supposed documents he possessed."

Naruto's glare intensified. "Don't think you can talk yourself out of this! Stuff centered around you has been going on for years; everyone knows that! We just… we just…"

"Can't prove it?" Itachi finished for him. "That would make any logical person assume there _is_ nothing to prove. If you're just going to sit here and spout false accusations, I'm afraid I'm going to have to ask you to leave. Since you managed to get Sasuke involved in your foolishness, I thought you had something of worth to talk to me about. However, if you don't then I won't waste any more of my time." Itachi stood up, clearly dismissing Naruto.

Naruto angrily lurched to his feet. He wasn't about to let this Itachi bastard just leave! "Hell no! Don't just sidestep my questions like that!" he exclaimed. "For the sake of the people involved, I want _real_ answers, and I'm not about to leave until I get them! Tell me what really happened!"

Slowly, a dark smile made it's way onto Itachi's expression. "'Real' answers? I think you already have too many of those," he stated blandly.

Before Naruto could figure out what he meant by that, Itachi was suddenly right in front of him. Instinctually, the blond scrambled backwards, his heart racing from the shock. How had he…?

"It's hard to believe that you managed to make Sasuke tell you about everything, but he has always been a little emotionally weak."

Naruto could only stare dumbly as Itachi spoke.

Itachi's blank, disinterested expression was back. "You want your 'real' answers? Hyuuga-san was killed not because he found evidence of some silly, nefarious wrong my family had committed, but because he managed to find out about our curse; the very same information that you are now aware of, Naruto Uzumaki."

"_And finally, do not, under any circumstances, allow Itachi to figure out that you are aware of our curse."_

* * *

**A/N:** Aaaaand that's a wrap!

Ah! I'm kidding, I'm kidding. It turns out I lied. (Again) The story isn't ending this chapter. Really, why do you guys still listen to me? I'm beginning to wonder if I'm a pathological liar.

Unfortunately, since there's still a lot I wasn't able to cover, I'm once putting off the ending. I just… I know exactly how I want this to end, and that ending wasn't going to happen without making this chapter ridiculously longer. I'm not going to say it will end in the next chapter—we all know by now how things turn out when I make promises like that—but, er… It should? I think. If I say it should, will that make the story drag on even longer? Ooh, I hope not.

Anyway, exactly a week ago it hit me that Naruto's birthday was coming up. At the time, I was only about 3,500 words in to writing this, but I told myself I wanted to get this chapter out for his birthday. So, I wrote and wrote and wrote and somehow… somehow… I was able to get it done, despite the fact that I also had two papers I needed to finish for my college classes. Don't ask me how I did it all. Huzzah for the power of determination! So, happy birthday, Naruto! *throws confetti*

Oh! Oh! Also, I'm participating in the Neo SasuNaru exchange on Livejournal, and I got a fabulous prompt. So wish me luck! I'm hoping to write an excellent oneshot for the person whose prompt I got, and hopefully I won't fail horribly. Because I really, really, really want to do my best for my first exchange! I'll be sure to post it here sometime after the exchange is over. =)

Okay, just one more thing. I swear. xD Speaking of fanfictions I'm writing, I just started work on a collaboration between myself and my beta, Chibi Chidori. It's called _A Series of Peculiar Events _and should be up sometime very soon. Here's the summary:

_Feeling lonely living by himself, Naruto buys a pet parrot for companionship. After a few peculiar events, he deems that the parrot is able to predict the future and begins to follow the bird's advice quite literally. Yaoi._

It's SasuNaru, and should be very cute and funny! For the first chapter, I wrote eight paragraphs (…Don't give me that look), and I'm already having a lot of fun! I wonder if you guys can guess which paragraphs were mine… (Hint: they were the ones that were written stupidly while the rest of the fic is filled with amazing)

It was an idea Chibi came up with, and I really love it. I can't wait to write more for it!

/end shameless self-promotion

Anyway, sorry for the long author's note… And thanks for reading!

~Riuolo


	4. Chapter 4

**Warning: **This chapter gets pretty bloody, so if that sort of thing freaks you out I suggest you turn back or skip that part. Also, there are a few instances of teh sexeh timez.

**Beta'd by**: Chibi Chidori

**Chapter Four**

Naruto's breathing turned ragged and though fear welled up in his chest, what he mostly felt was white-hot anger.

"Murderer," he said, his voice sounding muffled to his own ears due to his loud, racing heartbeat. How could anyone justify taking another's life? Screw keeping a family secret! There were always other ways, but this Itachi person had…

"You don't seem to fully comprehend the situation you're in," Itachi said, expressionless.

"Shut the fuck up," Naruto growled, eyes blazing. "How could you? How could you even begin to justify something like that?"

As fast as a whip, Itachi's fist shot out and he viciously punched Naruto in the stomach. Naruto, unprepared for such a move, took the full brunt of it and fell over, gasping for air through the pain and unable to see past the stars that suddenly dotted his vision.

"You are a fool, Naruto Uzumaki," Itachi stated coldly. "Don't even begin to think you can tell me what I can and cannot do."

"Bastard!" Naruto gasped out.

Suddenly, Itachi had Naruto by the throat. "I suggest you stop being so cocky," he said, slamming Naruto against one of the walls. He squeezed Naruto's neck more tightly in warning. "Don't think I won't dispose of you just because my little brother is fond of you."

Naruto was struggling, but it was to no avail. Just as he was starting to turn a little blue in the face, Itachi dropped him. He hit the ground hard, coughing and sputtering in an effort to get precious air back into his lungs.

"Leave here now and don't come back," Itachi commanded. His eyes narrowed threateningly. "And stay out of our family's affairs."

With that, Itachi turned and made to exit the room, but he was stopped when Naruto spoke.

Voice raspy, Naruto croaked out the word, "No."

Itachi looked back at him, his eyes widening slightly as he saw Naruto pulling himself back up to his feet.

"No," Naruto repeated.

"Boy—"

"_No_!"

Itachi stared at him. Naruto stared right back.

"It's not too late to do the right thing," Naruto said. "It's never too late. I won't give up, because Neji is my friend. And I can't just leave here, because…" Naruto looked down, the lightest of blushes on his face. _Sasuke_…

The light tap of shoes against floor was the only warning Naruto was given before a finger under his chin gently lifted his head. He found himself eye to eye with Itachi Uchiha before he could even blink.

Naruto didn't quite know what to make of Itachi's expression, and he was too exhausted and out of breath to do anything about Itachi's probing eyes.

After a few long moments, Itachi finally released Naruto's chin and stepped back. Despite all he had just done to him, Naruto was surprised to see an almost gentle expression on Itachi's face.

"Well then," Itachi said, his quiet voice echoing through the silence, "I suppose I'll leave my brother to you." He strode out of the room, leaving Naruto with only those vague words.

Naruto could only stare as the door clicked shut. After a few seconds had passed, he collapsed back onto his knees and clutched at his stomach. Damn, that Itachi hit hard.

His eyes slowly closed, the tenseness and stress of the situation hitting him all at once and making him tired now that it was all over. Well, maybe a little nap wouldn't hurt…

Naruto wasn't quite sure how long he had been sleeping when a commotion coming from outside startled him awake. He could hear yelling, and before he could make out just what was being said, the door opened and slammed against the wall with a horribly loud bang. Sasuke angrily strode inside, and Naruto was a little horrified to notice a man dressed as a guard fall into a boneless heap on the floor.

"Naruto!" Sasuke practically screamed.

Naruto gaped, looking vaguely like a fish.

Sasuke's head swiveled around, his eyes locking with Naruto's almost immediately. In a flash, he was by his side and taking the stunned Naruto into his arms.

"You idiot," Sasuke said, his voice angry and muffled as he buried his nose in Naruto's neck. "You fucking idiot."

Vaguely, Naruto noticed that he could feel Sasuke's wild heartbeat beating beside his own. In both wonder and awe, he lifted his free palm and lightly placed it against Sasuke's chest. He could feel Sasuke's heartbeat so clearly…

"Why don't you ever listen to me?" Sasuke demanded, biting at Naruto's neck to express his displeasure. Naruto flinched.

"Sorry…" He mumbled in response. He slumped his head so it rested on Sasuke's shoulder.

Sasuke opened his eyes, stared right at Naruto's neck, and he practically growled. "Did that bastard try and _choke_ you?" he asked through gritted teeth. When Naruto didn't immediately respond, Sasuke lightly shook him. "Answer me!"

Finally, Naruto found his voice. "Don't worry about it. It's okay now," he said. And it was true. He wasn't sure just what Itachi had decided when he had left, but he knew… He knew it was okay now.

Sasuke bit his neck again, though he was more mindful of the bruises that were forming on Naruto. "It's not okay," he growled, his eyes almost insane and promising vengeance.

Naruto's grip on Sasuke's shirt tightened. "Calm down…" he said.

"You want me to calm down?" Sasuke snapped, pushing Naruto just far enough away so that he could look him in the eyes. "No, Naruto, I won't fucking '_calm_ _down_'! Do you know what it felt like? Could you possibly know what it feels like after I saw the news and came home to find you, only to find you missing from my room? _Do you know what that feels like_?"

Naruto's brow furrowed in confusion. "The news?"

Sasuke nodded, the motion jerky and almost strange on him. He abruptly stood up, bringing Naruto with him. Naruto allowed himself to be dragged by his hand, his confusion making him compliant. As they passed the guard, Naruto was relived to note that the man only seemed to be unconscious.

When they arrived, Sasuke all but shoved Naruto into his room. As Naruto stood there looking confused, Sasuke went over to a table, picked up a remote and turned on the television. Immediately, a newscaster appeared on the screen.

"—_keeping up with the breaking news concerning Itachi Uchiha. For those of you who are just tuning in, it seems Itachi Uchiha of Uchiha Inc. has turned himself in for the murder of Hizashi Hyuuga. According to our sources, he caused quite a stir when he suddenly appeared at the police department. He seems to currently be in for questioning, and it is unclear if any arrests have been made_—"

Sasuke turned off the television, his face carefully blank.

Naruto was shocked. Itachi had really turned himself in? It seemed almost too good to be true. Was he dreaming?

"Dobe," Sasuke finally said, "I need you to tell me what happened while I was away."

"I-I don't…" Naruto was practically stumbling over his words. "He came and asked if I was the one who was wanting to talk to him, and…" He took a deep breath, trying to steady himself. He still couldn't believe this was real. He noticed Sasuke was looking more and more impatient, so he was quick to blurt out the rest of the story as quickly as he could.

"I see…" Sasuke mumbled when it was over, looking contemplative. Naruto fidgeted, the nervous energy in him on the verge of bubbling over. Just when Naruto thought he was about to crack, Sasuke broke the silence and said, "I don't know what Itachi is planning, but I'm not letting you out of my sight until I find out."

Naruto was quick to protest this. "You can't just expect me to go along with something like that!" he exclaimed. "I have a life, you bastard."

"I can and I do," Sasuke said sharply. "You've already broken one of your promises to me once—"

Naruto flinched at this.

"—and I can't trust you not to get into any more trouble. Itachi is cunning and manipulative, and I'm not going to let him do anything else to you."

"He's been arrested!" Naruto all but yelled. "It's not like he can do anything in jail!"

Sasuke laughed hollowly. "You don't know Itachi like I do."

And somehow, Naruto couldn't find it in him to argue the point.

Sasuke sighed. "I'm sorry, Naruto," he finally said. "But you're _mine_, and I'm not about to let anything happen to you."

A shiver ran down Naruto's spine. Sasuke's eyes looked so dark…

* * *

It didn't take long before reporters began swarming around the Uchiha property gates. Naruto, it seemed, had been reduced to a tag-along, a fact of which he quickly took to loudly complaining about. As Sasuke worked in his office, as Sasuke sent his guards to fight off reporters, as Sasuke freaking _did his hair_, Naruto was there, and he wasn't happy about it. The only reason he wasn't making a break for it at every opportunity was because he wanted to keep an eye on Sasuke. Sasuke hadn't exactly been doing the best job of taking care of himself lately.

Not that everything was… well… all bad. Ehem.

Naruto let out a shout as he came hard, his seed quickly covering both his and Sasuke's stomachs and making a mess of the sheets. "Sasuke!" he yelled, clutching at his partner's hair as he saw stars.

But Sasuke wasn't done. He continued to thrust relentlessly into Naruto, nipping at the junction between Naruto's shoulder and neck (Naruto quickly found that Sasuke had a thing for necks), determined to keep things going a little longer. But Naruto—the heat, it felt so fucking good. It surrounded Sasuke, and he couldn't stop. Before he could try anything to stop it, he released into the tight heat with a gritted out, "Naruto…!"

Sasuke fell back onto the bed and gathered the sated Naruto into his arms. Normally he wasn't one for cuddling, but he couldn't seem to ever get enough of Naruto. Besides, having Naruto right there against his chest helped assured that he was safe—that he was still with Sasuke.

They'd been having sex on and off the last few days, and neither tired of it. It was a good way to relieve a lot of the tension between them, and the feeling of closeness and love was addicting.

_I love you_, Naruto thought as he nuzzled his head in Sasuke's chest.

Sasuke buried his nose in Naruto's hair.

They stayed like that for a long while, neither wanting to break the moment. Naruto wasn't quite sure how long they'd been lying there before a knock on the door broke them out of their respective reveries. Naruto started to look up, but Sasuke's hand on the back of his head kept him from doing so.

"What is it?" Sasuke called out, annoyed. Naruto took the moment to revel in how Sasuke's chest rumbled against his cheek.

"Sir, I'm sorry to disturb you," came the muffled, apologetic voice of one of the butlers from behind the thick door, "but Suigetsu Houzuki-sama has called, and wishes to confirm your appointment with him in an hour."

Sasuke let out a low groan. Fucking Suigetsu… "Yes, confirm it. Tell him to come through the back door; there are less reporters there."

"Yes, sir," the butler said and was gone.

"I guess this means you have to get up?" Naruto asked.

"This means _we_ have to get up," Sasuke corrected pointedly.

Naruto groaned. "Damn it, Sasuke, just let me stay here… I'm not going to run away, you ass. Besides, now my freaking butt hurts."

"I'll get you some pain reliever," Sasuke promised. Suddenly, he looked the tiniest bit mischievous. "We need to take a quick shower. If you're in so much pain, I can always carry you there."

Naruto glared. "No way! I may be the one taking it up the ass because your pansy ass can't handle it, but I'm not a chick. I can make it there on my o—BASTARD!"

Sasuke stood and swept Naruto into his arms before carrying him to the bathroom attached to his room. It was a little difficult with Naruto flailing around so much, but not impossible. Soon enough, they were in the shower together to 'conserve water,' Naruto batting off Sasuke's wandering hands all the while.

"So, what's this Suigetsu guy here to talk to you about?" Naruto asked as he worked to wash the shampoo out of his hair. He didn't remember any Suigetsu, and after being forced to follow Sasuke around for the past few days he had met a lot of people.

"Suigetsu is here to update me on the status of a few things," Sasuke replied, having obtained possession of the luffa sponge and tried to get himself as clean as he could. "I've known him for a long time, and he's very good at his job."

"His job?" Naruto asked.

"Yes," Sasuke said, finality in his tone.

Naruto frowned, but let the subject go. He'd learned these past few days that when Sasuke got like that, there was no getting any information out of him.

It wasn't long before they were finished and had gotten their clothes back on. Naruto absentmindedly followed Sasuke to his office, his mind not completely there. He'd been in contact with Iruka and his friends several times over the course of his stay and had soothed their fears about his safety, and though none of them seemed very happy about it, there wasn't very much he could do. Sasuke was stupidly stubborn, it seemed.

"Alright, Suigetsu," Sasuke said commandingly, throwing open the doors to his office and confidently striding in. "Tell me what's going on."

Naruto followed in after Sasuke, though he was much more aloof. He looked curiously at the man in the room, Suigetsu, wondering to himself just what this talk was going to be about.

Suigetsu raised a casual hand in greeting. "Yo, Sasuke," he said, his eyes meeting Naruto's. "Who's the blond?"

"That's none of your concern," Sasuke dismissed, sitting down in his chair and gesturing for Naruto to do the same. "Don't make me repeat myself, Suigetsu."

Suigetsu grinned. "Fine, fine, I'll get down to business. You're the boss, or whatever," he said, throwing his hands in the air. He held up a single finger. "First off, I'll start with the less sucky news. It looks like they've mostly finished interrogating Itachi, and though he hasn't said anything to shift any of the blame on you they're starting to investigate you pretty hard."

Sasuke groaned. "Just what I need…"

"Oh, you know as well as I do that they won't find anything," Suigetsu said with a wave of his hand.

From where he was sitting, Naruto wondered what Suigetsu meant by that. He knew Sasuke wasn't exactly an angel, so why was he so confident?

"I know," Sasuke said, rubbing at his temples. "It's just… Continue, Suigetsu. What else do you have to tell me?"

Suigetsu nodded, but he side-eyed Naruto. "Alright, but are you sure you want this guy here for this?"

"_Continue_."

"Alright already! Well, I hate to be the one to tell you this, Sasuke, but…" Suigetsu frowned. "It seems that with the arrest of Itachi, some of your rivals are starting to get cocky. Some of them are already starting to move against you, the idiots. I've gathered some information here about that," he said, handing Sasuke a folder that was filled to the brim with papers.

Sasuke accepted the folder and began flipping through some of the papers, his eyes narrowing with each read word. Just when Naruto began to wonder if someone was going to snap from the tension, Sasuke threw the folder on his desk.

"You can leave now, Suigetsu," Sasuke said, turning his chair and dismissing him.

Suigetsu stood. "Yeah, I need to get going. Remember to watch your back, Sasuke," he said before standing up and taking his leave.

After the door closed, an uncomfortable silence filled the room. Well, uncomfortable for Naruto, anyway. Sasuke just sat there, expression the slightest bit tense as he stared out a window, deep in thought.

Unable to take it any longer, Naruto ventured to say, "Sasuke…?"

Sasuke's eyes slid to Naruto, as if only just remembering that he was there.

"Are you okay?" Naruto asked after Sasuke didn't say anything.

Sasuke released a breath. "Yeah…" he said. He ran a hand through his hair. "I can't say I wasn't expecting what Suigetsu told me, but it's still a pain in the ass."

Naruto nodded in understanding. "Dude, believe me, I feel ya."

Sasuke let out a small smile. "From the sounds of it, I'm going to have to keep an even closer eye on you. I wouldn't want any of my rivals to get a hold of you, after all…" And somehow, Sasuke sounded the tiniest bit mischievous.

Naruto could feel his hackles rising. "How the hell are you going to keep an even closer eye on me?" he demanded. "We're already practically glued to the hip! If I have to spend any more time with you I'm going to go insane!"

Sasuke looked pleased with himself, the smug bastard. "That's not my problem."

"I'll MAKE it your problem!"

Sasuke only chuckled.

True to his word, for the next few days Naruto determinedly set out to make Sasuke's life a living hell. From pranks to escape attempts to denying sex, nothing was sacred to Naruto. Sasuke, to his credit, took most of this in stride. When he woke up to a giant (fake) spider staring at him in the face, he deftly flicked it off and went back to sleep. When Naruto tried to, of all things, hide inside the only suit of armor in the mansion, Sasuke banged a nearby pot against it and Naruto never tried that again. When things got really silent, Naruto could still hear the horrible ringing noise echoing through his head.

Though, there was one instance that really got to him…

Things were started to heat up. Sasuke bucked against Naruto's hips, and they both let out a pleasured hiss. "Bed?" Sasuke gritted out, unable to form any other words.

Naruto silently nodded in response, having similar problems with coherency.

Sasuke steered them to his bed. The next few minutes were filled with touching, kissing, and heavy petting. Just as Naruto was starting to inch his hand towards the band of Sasuke's boxers, he suddenly stopped.

Sasuke looked at him questioningly.

"You know… I have a headache. Guess we can't do it tonight! Sorry, bastard!" Naruto said, looking positively gleeful. He pushed a stunned Sasuke away and rolled onto his side before yawning and closing his eyes.

Finally, Sasuke seemed to find his tongue. "Naru—What?"

"I have a headache. It hurts," Naruto explained. "I'm going to sleep now."

"Now?" Sasuke asked in disbelief, his voice sounding a little choked.

"Yep!"

"But—I—" Sasuke looked helplessly down at his erection.

"Sorry!" But Naruto didn't sound sorry at all—quite the opposite, in fact.

Sasuke let out another broken noise that almost sounded like a sob.

Naruto practically cackled at the memory. His bastard of a lover had only been able to jack off by himself that night, and when he finally came back to the bed Naruto could tell he was less than satisfied.

Well, whatever. As far as Naruto was concerned, Sasuke deserved it for trying to keep him cooped up in this stupid mansion. He didn't like not being able to roam around and do as he pleased; his personality didn't allow for it. It also didn't help that the mansion, even as big as it was, seemed to be getting smaller and smaller every day.

Luckily—or perhaps unluckily, depending on how one looked at it—it was only a few days later that things changed for Naruto, starting with a phone call.

Naruto had been keeping himself occupied with a video game while Sasuke worked on his laptop when Naruto's personal cell phone went off. He paused the game before fishing the device out of his pocket and holding it up to his ear.

"Hello?" Naruto spoke.

"_Hello, Naruto-san_."

Naruto nearly dropped his phone. He could hardly believe his ears. _Itachi_? "ITA—"

"_Ssh, Naruto-san. My younger brother is there, isn't he? I would appreciate it if you didn't alert him to the fact that it's me. It would make things much more difficult_."

Naruto shut his mouth. However, his previous exclamation alerted Sasuke all the same. When Sasuke looked up and gave him a questioning look, Naruto grinned as best as he could and mouthed a 'sorry.'

Naruto thanked his lucky stars when Sasuke looked back at his laptop, though he knew he was still keeping a suspicious eye on him.

"_Naruto-san, I'm sorry for contacting you out of the blue, but there's something I'd like for you to do for me_."

"Is there?" Naruto asked, doing his best to keep his voice even and natural. _How did Itachi Uchiha get my phone number? _he thought desperately to himself.

"_Yes. Unfortunately, there were some things I was unable to address during our last discussion, and I wish to correct that. However, I can't do it over the phone. Would you be willing to meet with me?_"

Naruto's hands were sweating. What should he do? This guy had tried to kill him last time they had met! The bruises on his neck might have healed, but he hadn't forgotten. Meeting with him wouldn't be safe and he'd be crazy to agree to it. He should turn around, tell Sasuke it was Itachi who was speaking to him, and let him deal with his brother.

"_It's about Sasuke_."

Naruto froze. What…?

"_So? Will you meet with me, Naruto-san?_"

It felt like something was blocking his throat. If it was about Sasuke… He gulped before replying, "Yes."

"_I'm glad to hear that. I've managed to pull some strings, and I'm going to be released briefly from custody at five o' clock tonight. At five thirty, would you meet me at the temple on the grounds of the Uchiha family cemetery? I'm sure you saw it when you visited with my brother_."

An image of the temple flashed in Naruto's mind, and he found himself nodding. "Yeah, I remember," he confirmed.

"_Then I'll be waiting for you there, Naruto-san. Don't keep me waiting_."

There was an audible _click_ and then all was silent. For a while, all Naruto could do was stare blankly at the wall. The whole situation seemed unreal and Naruto knew he needed to proceed with caution. From what he could tell, Itachi wasn't the most trustworthy person, but Naruto got the strong impression that he did care about Sasuke, just like Naruto did. If Itachi knew something vital…

"Dobe? Who was it?" Sasuke asked, looking up suspiciously from his laptop.

Naruto snapped his cell phone closed. "It was Iruka," he replied automatically. He talked to Iruka a lot on his phone.

"What did he want?" Sasuke pressed.

"Oh. Well, I guess he just wanted to tell me about this new student who transferred to his class. The student's name is Tanaka, and I guess he's giving Iruka-sensei a hell of a time," Naruto replied, doing his best to smile. He was usually much better at lying, but he was still a little shaken from his conversation with Itachi.

Sasuke stared at him for a few seconds, silently probing Naruto's expression, before frowning and looking back at his laptop with an, "I see."

Naruto un-paused his video game and went back to playing, but his mind was on other things. He knew he should tell Sasuke about what had just happened, but he couldn't. Itachi had sounded serious, and if he told Sasuke about it then Sasuke would insist on going with him, or maybe even not let him go at all. He wasn't one for taking orders, but he knew Sasuke would have no qualms calling some of his hulking bodyguards if he thought Naruto was going to go and meet with Itachi, of all people.

But how was he supposed to get away from Sasuke? Itachi certainly hadn't given him a lot of time to plan. It was almost three o' clock now, for Pete's sake! God damn it…

Besides, Naruto thought petulantly, his meeting with Itachi would be cutting into his dinnertime.

That's when it hit Naruto like a ton of bricks.

A plan in mind, Naruto paused his game again and turned to look at Sasuke, doing his absolute best to keep the devious smile that was threatening to break free off of his face.

"Hey, Sasuke?" Naruto said.

Sasuke looked up from his work again. "Yes?"

"Tonight for dinner, do you think we could go to my favorite ramen place?"

* * *

"This is the place?" Sasuke asked, looking at the building with utmost distaste. "Naruto, this place looks like nothing more than a rat-infested hole in the wall."

Naruto gasped, looking horrified. "You take that back!" he exclaimed.

Sasuke rolled his eyes. "I won't take it back. It's the truth."

"How dare you!" Naruto said, thoroughly offended. "Ichiraku's is the very best place to eat in all of the world, and you have the guts—the absolute _guts_—to say…!" Naruto didn't even look like he could continue.

Sasuke sighed. "I didn't say we couldn't eat here. Let's go in."

Naruto scoffed. "Just watch—after this meal, you'll be eating your words."

"I highly doubt that," Sasuke said, every ounce of his disbelief echoing in his tone. All the same, he grabbed Naruto's hand and they walked in together. Behind them, two of Sasuke's bodyguards followed diligently, seemingly oblivious to the glares Naruto was shooting in their direction.

Instantly, the owner's voice greeted them. "Welcome! Oh, Naruto, is that you? Hey!" The owner smiled widely from behind the counter, holding up a hand in greeting. "How's my favorite customer?"

"Teuchi!" Naruto exclaimed, grinning just as widely. "I'm great! How are you and Ayame?" He led Sasuke over to a seat and sat down, obviously very familiar with the place.

"We're pretty good," Teuchi replied as he handed Sasuke and Naruto a menu. "Ayame's out with friends tonight, but I'm sure she'd be happy to see you! We've been wondering about you lately. Who's this?" he asked, looking at Sasuke.

"Oh, that's Sasuke! He's kind of a jerk, but he grows on you after a while."

It continued on like this for a while, until Naruto and Sasuke both ordered their food. It wasn't long before it came out, and Naruto chowed down with enthusiasm. Sasuke didn't seem quite as excited, though he picked up his chopsticks and ate all the same. Secretly, Naruto kept a close eye on the clock hanging on the wall. If he was going to do this, he needed to hurry.

Naruto pushed his empty bowl away, and despite just eating so much his stomach rumbled. "Another bowl, please!" Naruto said happily.

Sasuke looked on in disbelief. "Another? Where are you going to put it? Surely there's not enough room in your stomach," he said.

"There is plenty of room in my stomach," Naruto replied, rubbing it soothingly. Once again, he covertly looked at the clock. He needed to put his plan into motion now. "Hey, Sasuke, I'll be right back. I'm going to use the restroom."

"Okay," Sasuke said, looking over at one of the bodyguards and signaling for the man to follow him. Naruto's eye ticked in annoyance.

"I don't need a babysitter," he huffed.

"Naruto, it would really set my mind at ease if you would just let him go with you," Sasuke said, sounding so sincere that Naruto very nearly confessed what he was about to do right then and there.

Instead, Naruto scowled. "Fine, but he's waiting outside the door!"

"That's fine." Sasuke nodded.

"I'll be back soon!" Naruto called, jumping to his feet and heading off to the small, single bathroom in the back.

As soon as the bathroom door closed behind him, Naruto was off. He knew he didn't have much time before the guard and Sasuke got suspicious, so he couldn't afford to waste a single second. Luckily, he knew this place like the back of his hand.

The nice thing about this bathroom was that there were two entrances. One—the one he had just came in—led to the front of the store. The other led to a side hallway, which led to an alleyway and his freedom.

His training on his side, without making a noise Naruto exited the bathroom and found himself in the alleyway before he knew it. Adrenaline pumping through his veins, he hailed the closest taxi cab, threw money at the driver, and told him to hit the gas.

Only then did Naruto allow himself to slump in his seat. "I did it…"

* * *

"It's been almost ten minutes. Why isn't Naruto back yet?" Sasuke mumbled to himself, looking anxiously at the spot where he had last seen Naruto. Surely it couldn't take this long to use the restroom.

Just as Sasuke was about to stand up and go see what the holdup was, the guard he had assigned to follow Naruto appeared, looking nervous.

"Sir, I think you might want to come with me," the guard said.

At the look on his face, Sasuke's heart very nearly stopped.

In the blink of an eye, he was on his feet and practically running to where Naruto was supposed to be. He skidded to a halt in front of the bathroom door and banged a hand against the locked door. "Naruto? Naruto! If this is another one of your pranks…! Answer me!"

"When I tried that earlier, he didn't respond," the guard informed.

Sasuke hands clenched into fists, and the guards took a step back in fear after catching the look on his face. Were his eyes… red?

"Break the door down."

"Sir…?"

"_Break it down!_" Sasuke nearly screeched, punching the door hard enough that he drew blood. The guards shook.

"Yes!" They both said, running forward and throwing their collective weight at the door. As the door was old, it quickly gave way to them and revealed Sasuke's worst nightmare.

The room was empty. Naruto was gone.

* * *

Naruto closed the gate to the Uchiha cemetery behind him, trying not to shudder as it made an ominous creaking noise. Man, he really hated cemeteries… It was bad enough when he had come here with Sasuke, but now that he was on his own…

Steeling his nerves, Naruto straightened his shoulders and headed for the building in the distance—the temple, as Sasuke had helpfully informed him last time they were here.

It was just about time to meet Itachi, and Naruto hoped that he was there waiting for him now. Naruto wasn't quite sure how long he could last in this creepy place… No! He was Naruto-freaking-Uzumaki! He could stay here as long as he wanted! He wasn't scared!

With a little difficulty, Naruto pushed open the heavy doors and stumbled inside, blinking in an effort to get his eyes to adjust to the sudden darkness. "Hello?" he called.

"Hello, Naruto-san."

Naruto almost jumped, even though he'd been expecting the voice. This place was just so creepy… "Hey, stop trying to scare me, you jerk! Get out here and show yourself!" Naruto said angrily.

Itachi obligingly stepped forward, and the way he almost seemed to materialize from the shadows would have sent a shiver down his spine if he wasn't Naruto Uzumaki! Ha!

"There you are!" Naruto exclaimed, taking a step towards him. "Hey, this had better be good. Sasuke is going to _kill_ me…"

"I assure you that your coming here was worth it," Itachi said, strangely unmoving.

"Yeah? Well, hurry up and get on with it! Maybe if I can get back fast, Sasuke'll only maim me. What was this you wanted to talk to me about Sasuke?" Naruto crossed his arms, annoyed at the unresponsive Itachi. Seriously, were Itachi and Sasuke's horrible personalities genetic or something?

Itachi smiled, and Naruto was a little taken aback by how sincere it seemed. He didn't even know Itachi could smile…

"Naruto-san, I would first like to confirm something. You are in love with my little brother, are you not?" Itachi asked, that same freaky smile on his face.

Immediately, Naruto took a step back and turned bright red. "J-just what the hell do you think you're asking me?" Naruto demanded, having a hard time talking coherently through his embarrassment.

Itachi looked pleased. "I knew it."

"You don't know anything!" Naruto interrupted, arms flailing wildly. "Nothing! I don't… I do…" He looked down, suddenly unable to meet Itachi's knowing gaze.

"Don't worry so much. I'm actually very pleased about this, as it makes things much easier."

Naruto looked up at that. "Easier?" he repeated.

Itachi nodded and started walking closer, quickly closing most of the distance between them. Finally, when he was just an arms length away, he stopped and said, "Please forgive me for this."

Fast as a shot, Itachi's hand whipped out and aimed with dead-on precision to a pressure point in the back of his neck. His eyes widened slightly when Naruto caught it before it could connect.

"I'm tired of you bastard Uchihas telling me what to do," Naruto ground out, expression angry. "Just what the hell do you think you're trying to do to me?"

Itachi smiled slightly, though it was a little strained. "Most people wouldn't have been able to catch that. I commend you."

"Yeah, well, I'm Naruto Uzumaki, bastard. You have another thing coming if you think you can take me out just like that," Naruto said, glaring for all he was worth. He angrily shoved Itachi's hand away. "Now you've pissed me off, and you'd better start answering my questions before I kick your pretty boy ass to the other side of the country and back. Just what are you trying to accomplish?"

"I'm sorry, Naruto-san, but I simply must _insist_," Itachi activated his sharingan, "that you come with me. If it sets your mind at ease, I'm doing this for Sasuke."

Naruto tried to look away from Itachi's eyes, but it was too late. Before he could do anything to stop it, he blacked out.

Itachi caught Naruto just as he was slumping over and deftly hauled the unconscious bundle onto his shoulder. He didn't have much time to waste.

* * *

Konohamaru laughed as he turned a corner, effectively losing his annoying caretaker Ebisu. Seriously, did the man ever give up? Well, it was fun to outwit him.

Whistling happily to himself, he looked around and decided to explore the area. This was a new part of town for him, and he'd wanted to check it out for ages. That Ebisu jerk had kept insisting it was 'too dangerous' for him or something. Ha! He could take care of himself.

He was just about to cross a street when a sleek, black car zoomed by. He stopped to let it pass, and watched curiously as it came to a stop a few decrepit buildings down. What was such a nice car doing in a place like this?

He watched as several men stepped out, and when a few rough-looking people from the building came out to greet them Konohamaru had the good sense to hide, his curiosity getting the better of him.

He continued to observe them as they talked, wondering just what was going on. It all seemed very shady, to say the least.

Finally, one of the men—this one reminded him of a fish and his skin almost looked blue—reached back into the car and pulled out an unconscious…

Naruto?

Konohamaru let out a loud war cry and rushed forward, determined to take Naruto back from these strange men. Just as he got close, he was half-heartedly knocked to the side by one of the men who had stepped out of the car and he fell, scraping his knee pretty badly in the process. He let out a hiss of pain.

The man laughed. "What's your problem, kid?"

Konohamaru glared, stepping back onto his feet and determinedly ignoring the pain in his knee. "Give me back Naruto!" he demanded.

This time, most all of the men laughed. "Beat it, brat," the one holding Naruto said, readjusting his bundle so he laid more comfortably on his shoulder before strolling inside the building, all of the men following him.

Konohamaru watched helplessly as they took Naruto away, knowing there were too many people for him to take on his own. He had to do something! He needed backup! But he didn't think it would be enough with even Moegi and Udon…

Suddenly, he had an idea. He turned on his heels and took off towards where he knew the Uchiha mansion to be. Surely that vampire guy could help him!

As fast as he was running, it wasn't long before he arrived. He ran up to the gates and started to bang on them. "Let me in!" he yelled. "It's important!"

Unfortunately, his efforts were in vain. None of the guards even spared a glance at him, assuming he must just be some desperate kid. Konohamaru nearly growled in frustration.

Well, if they weren't going to let him in, then he'd just let himself in!

He ran until he found a more deserted stretch of gate and started to climb, though the sleek steel bars made it difficult. He was very nearly to the top, when…

_Zap!_

Konohamaru fell to the ground, stunned and with his hands red and raw. Had the fence just shocked him? His hands throbbed painfully in answer.

Konohamaru could feel tears welling up in his eyes. How was he supposed to help Naruto now? He had to get in… He _had_ to… He knew those people were going to hurt Naruto if he couldn't… "Naruto…" he whispered, voice breaking sadly on the name.

"What did you just say?"

Konohamaru looked up, instantly meeting a single black eye and gravity-defying silver hair. He was back on his feet in an instant. "You have to help me!" he very nearly begged. "These strong people took Naruto, and I tried to get him back from them but they were too strong! I tried to get the vampire Uchiha's help, but I can't even get in…!" The frustrated tears were threatening to spill over.

The silver haired man looked deadly serious, and Konohamaru found it a little weird that he could tell that despite the mask that obscured most of the man's face.

"Who took him?" the man questioned.

"I don't… I just…!" Konohamaru shook his head, trying to clear his frazzled thoughts. "I need to get in there!" He pointed to the Uchiha mansion.

Nodding, the man scooped up Konohamaru into his arms, climbed up a nearby tree, and jumped. Konohamaru very nearly screamed as they fell, but the man clamped a hand over his mouth. They landed gracefully on the lawn, like a cat, and Konohamaru briefly saw his life flash before his eyes.

Almost immediately, the yelling of guards broke the silence, but the man who was carrying Konohamaru seemed unfazed. Before the guards could reach them, the man started scaling the wall, Konohamaru screeching when they started to get really high up.

Sasuke was on the verge of going insane. Naruto had been missing for nearly a day now, and no matter who he contacted he couldn't figure out where he had gone or what had happened to him. It was like he had disappeared into thin air!

He was pacing in his office, trying to figure out his next course of action, when he heard yelling outside his window. Frustrated, he was about to go over and figure out what the hell was going on when someone suddenly appeared in his window. Immediately, a gun was in Sasuke's hands and trained on the intruder.

Before he could say anything, the man lifted up a hand in greeting. "Yo, Sasuke."

Sasuke lowered his gun slightly. "Kakashi?" he asked, remembering the man from when he had met Iruka with Naruto. His eye ticked in annoyance, and he waived a hand to dismiss the guards that had just ran into the room. "You could have just knocked."

"Well, he tried that and it didn't work, so we took another way."

Sasuke raised an eyebrow, but then he noticed the kid in Kakashi's arms and nearly groaned. "I don't have time for this. I need to find Naruto as I'm sure you know, Kakashi, and I can't afford any distractions." Sasuke had called Iruka earlier to see if he knew were Naruto was, only to hit another dead end. And by alerting Iruka, he wasn't surprised that he had consequently alerted his little guard dog.

Konohamaru, who had been too dazed to realize where he was, jumped at the sound of Naruto's name. "Naruto!" he yelled, whipping his head around until he spotted Sasuke. His eyes widened, and he wiggled out of Kakashi's grip. "It's you! Listen, you have to save Naruto!"

Sasuke immediately snapped to attention. "You know where Naruto is?" he demanded, taking a step towards Konohamaru and Kakashi. If Konohamaru didn't know any better, he could have sworn Sasuke's eyes flashed a dangerous red. "You will tell me what you know right now."

But Konohamaru didn't need any prompting. He proceeded to tell his story to Sasuke, leaving absolutely nothing out.

As Konohamaru talked, Sasuke tried and failed to keep his temper under control. When he was finished with his story, Sasuke looked like he was about ready to punch something.

"I'm going," Sasuke immediately said, stopping only to grab an extra gun from his desk before heading for the door. Kakashi placed a hand on his shoulder.

"I'm going with you," Kakashi replied.

Sasuke shrugged off his hand. "Do you what you want," he growled before storming out of the room. Kakashi followed, waving goodbye to Konohamaru.

"Go home, kid. Don't worry, we'll take care of this," he reassured just before he disappeared.

Konohamaru fell to his knees.

* * *

"So," Kakashi said, leaning back in his seat in the car, "we're just going in there blind? You're not stopping to try and get information on the opponent's numbers? Their weaknesses? Nothing? How uncharacteristically sloppy of you, Uchiha."

"I don't need this from you," Sasuke said darkly, gripping the steering wheel more tightly has he made a particularly fast turn. "So do me a favor and shut the hell up."

They were driving to the building where Konohamaru had seen Naruto, and the car driving behind them was filled with some of Sasuke's very best guards. It wasn't much, but it was enough. And it was hard to mobilize too many people at the drop of a hat, like he had done.

"I'm just saying," Kakashi replied, looking like he was smiling beneath his mask. "If this goes wrong my poor dolphin is going to be very upset, and I don't like it when he's upset."

"Then just try not to get in my way," Sasuke replied with a glare.

Kakashi held his hands up in peaceful surrender.

It wasn't long before they arrived, Sasuke parking a few blocks down and behind a building so they wouldn't be immediately noticed. Sasuke, Kakashi, and his guards stepped out of their cars, eyes carefully observing their surroundings. Suddenly, the shadows seemed to move and Sasuke narrowed his eyes.

"Show yourself," Sasuke commanded.

Out stepped three people, only one of which Sasuke knew.

"Neji Hyuuga?" he questioned, eyebrow raised. "And who are the other two?"

"We're Naruto's friends!" the only girl in the group declared. "And we're rescuing Naruto, too!"

Neji stepped forward. "Naruto has helped me more than I can say, and I wish to repay my debt."

Sasuke glared. He didn't need any more liabilities.

Kakashi placed his hand on Sasuke's shoulder again. "I called them," he explained.

Sasuke directed his glare to Kakashi. "Why?" he demanded to know.

"Just for a little extra help. They're worried about Naruto, as well. Their names are Tenten and Shikamaru," Kakashi said.

Whatever. Sasuke didn't have the time or patience to deal with this. He had an idiot he needed to rescue. He stalked off in the direction of where Konohamaru had said Naruto was being kept, and everyone else silently followed.

Inside the building, Gato watched gleefully as his men set the trap to kill that damn, spoiled Uchiha brat. By his side stood one of his two bodyguards, Waraji. The other, Zouri, was farther back, standing with Zabuza beside their blond-haired bait. Really, how nice of that Kisame man to help him out like this, delivering to him just what he needed. He'd have to remember the man when he was standing on top of the country's drug, smuggling, and shipping network and subsequently rolling in money.

Gato heard a small groan and, turning, quickly identified the source to be from their captive. Splendid.

"You're finally awake, are you?" Gato said, strolling towards their captive.

Naruto blinked dazedly, still not completely awake. Where was he? Wasn't he just with Itachi? Was he… tied up? Wait a second, _tied up_?

Naruto's eyes snapped open. His head whipped around, and after seeing his many captors he let out a groan. Had he seriously managed to get himself kidnapped? Like, for real? "Fuuuck my life," he mumbled to himself.

Gato laughed. "I see you're beginning to comprehend the precarious situation you're in, boy!" he exclaimed, obviously pleased by this. It felt so nice to see a captive quivering in fear before him.

"Ha!" Naruto shouted, instantly defiant. "You call this a kidnapping? You'll have to do better than this if you want to keep this Naruto Uzumaki here!"

Gato tapped his cane to emphasize his words. "You're talking awfully big for someone with no hope of escape. Now, just sit there like good bait for the Uchiha brat and maybe I won't torture you as much when this is all over," he said, mentally patting himself on the back for his generosity.

Bait, huh? That's all Naruto was? He wasn't kidnapped because he was on the police force? Or even because of his dashing good looks? He was kidnapped… because he was sleeping with Sasuke.

Naruto was so offended he leaned back, hocked a loogie, and proceeded to spit it into Gato's eye.

Zouri and Waraji immediately jumped to attention. "You…!" Waraji said angrily.

"You will pay dearly for that!" Gato screeched, enraged. He raised his cane and was just about to pummel Naruto with it, when…

_Bang! _

Gato fell to the ground, clutching his shoulder in agony.

"Boss!" Zouri and Waraji called, instantly at his side. Zabuza was immediately alert, his giant sword at the ready as he scanned the area with his eyes. How had they already managed to take out all of their lackeys? And without them knowing about it…!

"Show yourself!" Zabuza growled.

Out stepped a figure, and Zabuza's eyes widened as he recognized the man.

Naruto was stunned. "Sasuke…" he mumbled. He'd come to save him?

Gato, too, seemed to realize just what was going on. "The Uchiha brat? No! You weren't supposed to find this place so quickly!" he screamed, denial marring his expression. They hadn't had proper time to prepare!

"Shut up," Sasuke murmured, the homicidal glint in his eyes undeniable.

Waraji let out an enraged roar and ran at Sasuke, his anger messing with his logic. Sasuke immediately shot him, and he too fell to the ground with a shout. "You obviously don't know who you've chosen to fuck with," Sasuke growled.

"You're no match for me!" Zabuza cried, suddenly behind Sasuke and about to strike him. Sasuke didn't even look phased when a shot rang out and Zabuza staggered backwards.

"You're late, Kakashi," Sasuke said lowly, annoyed. He directed his deadly glare at his ally.

Kakashi stepped out, looking sheepish. "I got caught up," he explained.

"Sasuke!" Naruto cried out, struggling with his bindings. "Sasuke, don't kill them! I'm not letting you go to jail!" He wiggled around, trying to loosen the ropes but to no avail.

But Sasuke seemed to be too far gone to reason with. With an insane laugh he kicked the fallen Waraji in the gut and watched as he grunted in pain.

Since Sasuke appeared to be distracted, Zouri covertly raised his gun from his position beside Gato, but just as he was about to pull the trigger Sasuke shot him with a flick of his wrist.

"Sasuke!" Naruto screamed again. He continued to use every trick he knew to get out of the ropes, but nothing seemed to help. He needed to get to Sasuke before he did something really stupid!

Before he realized what was happening, Naruto was yanked up by his hair and had a huge sword pressed to his neck. Naruto's sharp, pained noise altered both Sasuke and Kakashi in an instant.

Zabuza, seemingly undeterred by his bleeding thigh, seemed to grin manically under the bandages that covered his face. "Drop your weapons, or your little blond fuck buddy gets it, Uchiha."

_Oh hell no_, Naruto thought, thoroughly pissed off.

Before Sasuke could say or do anything, Naruto reached out and bit Zabuza in the hand as hard as he could. Zabuza barely held back his cry of pain. He shook the still-biting Naruto viciously and angrily yelled, "You little b—"

Kakashi used Zabuza's distraction to his advantage, took careful aim, and promptly shot the top of Zabuza's arm. This time, Zabuza couldn't stop the shout of pain and reflexively dropped Naruto to clutch at his injured arm.

Fast as a shot, Sasuke leapt forward, tackled Zabuza, and started punching him into a bloody pulp. "I'll kill you," Sasuke said, laughing.

Kakashi, on the other hand, ran to help Naruto. He quickly undid the ropes that bound him, and watched as Naruto immediately used his newfound freedom to jump at Sasuke. Naruto's weight and momentum was enough to dislodge Sasuke from Zabuza, and the two rolled a few times on the bloody floor before coming to a stop, Naruto's hands gripping Sasuke's wrists like a lifeline.

"Damn it, Sasuke!" Naruto shouted, angry tears in his eyes. "Don't you ever listen to me? I'm not letting you kill him! It's not worth it!"

But Sasuke appeared to be past the point of reason. "Shut up, Naruto!" he growled, eyes flashing. "Let me go so I can fucking get rid of these pests!"

"No!"

"Naruto, if you don't let me go I swear to God!" To emphasize his point, Sasuke promptly kneed Naruto in the stomach hard enough that Naruto nearly saw stars.

But still, gasping for breath, he didn't let go.

"I'm not letting you do it because I love you, Sasuke!"

Sasuke froze.

Finally, the tears in Naruto's eyes spilled over. "Sasuke, I don't want to lose you over something like this… So please…" he begged. Naruto was tired… So tired of everything… He dropped his head onto Sasuke's chest, mumbling the word 'please' over and over.

After a few moments, a kind hand touched Naruto's head. He looked back up, and thought Sasuke wasn't exactly smiling, the gentle look on his face told Naruto everything he needed to know. Naruto's tears renewed full-force—though they were happy this time—and he hugged Sasuke around the waist.

It wasn't perfect in any sense of the word, but it was theirs, and for them that was enough.

* * *

**A/N:** Woooo! The story is almost finished now! Now we just have the epilogue, AKA the Final Tying of the Loose Ends™, and we're done! In it, we shall learn Itachi's motivations, figure out what Neji and co were doing during this, that sort of thing. You know, epilogue stuff.

I'm not quite sure how long the epilogue will be, but I expect it to be shorter than the rest of the chapters. Hopefully it won't take me too long to write. ^^

Thank you for your patience with me! I know I take forever, but with my entry for the Neo SasuNaru Exchange and then some birthday presents I wrote and that sort of thing this just sort of ended up on the backburner. *hangs head in shame*

Anyway, it's my birthday tomorrow. x3 Happy birthday to meeeeeee~

Finally, I would like to dedicate this chapter to my beta, Chibi Chidori, because it is her birthday on the 16th. Our birthdays are so close together~ Happy birthday, Chibi! ILY, bb!

Okay, I'll stop rambling now. Sorry about that. xD

~Riuolo


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter Five**

**-Epilogue-**

When Naruto woke up again, he was momentarily disoriented by all of the white. He had to blink several times to clear the sudden spots out of his eyes and when he'd finally managed to successfully do so he was confused. He was in a hospital? What was he doing here? It didn't feel like he was injured. He moved around just to be sure and sure enough, no biting pain greeted him with the movement.

Naruto's forehead scrunched up as he tried to figure out the last thing he remembered. For a while he drew a blank, but then it all came back to him with startling clarity. He immediately jumped up and ran for the door, determined to find out just what had happened.

After tripping over some of the blankets that covered him, Naruto got a big surprise when he turned the handle and flung open the door, and was met with the sound of a blaring alarm.

Almost immediately, there were shouts and the sound of running. Naruto's eyes widened. Was he still kidnapped? They'd never take him alive!

Just as Naruto was about to bust out his best moves that were sure to make his opposition cower in fear, to his great shock it was Sasuke and Iruka who turned the corner.

"Naruto!" Iruka yelled as he rushed over, looking stern. "Just what do you think you're doing up? Get back in that bed this instant!"

Naruto's mouth dropped open. "Wait a second! What's going on?" he asked, thoroughly confused. "Last I remember, I was…" he trailed off, suddenly turning red as he remembered his little impromptu love confession.

Sasuke smirked at the look on his face, though his expression was strained. He explained, "You passed out, idiot. I had my doctor look at you after we got back from where you were being kept and it looks like it was from the stress. That being said, you haven't been cleared to get up yet, so get back in bed."

Naruto pouted. He didn't like being bossed around. Besides, he felt fine! He opened his mouth to argue, but Iruka sent a deadly glare in his direction, immediately silencing him. He gulped.

"Naruto, you will get back in that bed this instant! Until the doctor clears you, you are not to be up!" Iruka said sternly, grabbing Naruto by the ear and dragging him back inside the room. Naruto sputtered out a protest, but it was in vain. "Sasuke, I'm sorry, but could you finish talking to the doctor for me? I'll watch over Naruto."

Sasuke nodded in response and took off briskly down the hall, presumably to where the doctor was. Iruka slammed the door behind him, pressed a few numbers into a keypad Naruto hadn't noticed before, and the alarm stopped much to Naruto's relief.

After all but throwing Naruto back onto the bed where he was supposed to be, Iruka made himself comfortable on one of the bedside chairs. From the look on Iruka's face, Naruto knew he was in for it. He wasn't disappointed.

"How could you be so reckless, Naruto?" Iruka scolded, looking like he was barely holding himself back from whacking Naruto upside the head.

Naruto grinned sheepishly. "Um… Just to be clear, are we talking about me getting up or me getting kidnapped?"

"Both!" Iruka snapped, obviously irritated.

Naruto 'eep!'ed and cowered into his pillows.

"Lately it seems all you're doing is trying your best to worry me sick! Honestly, Naruto," Iruka folded his arms, "can you imagine what it felt like when Sasuke called me, telling me you'd disappeared?"

Naruto flinched. He hadn't meant to worry Iruka… Why did that bastard have to call him, anyway?

Iruka was on a roll. "And then when Kakashi called me, telling me they'd found you and to meet you here…! I come in to find Sasuke carrying you in, both of you practically covered in blood! I almost had a heart attack, Naruto!"

Though it embarrassed him, Naruto's heart beat just a little bit faster. "Sasuke was carrying me?" he asked, unable to stop himself.

"You were unconscious!" Iruka said fiercely, frowning deeply at Naruto. "We were all so worried about you! Sasuke would hardly let you go!"

Despite the seriousness of the situation, Naruto could hardly stop himself from getting embarrassed.

Finally, Iruka sighed and said, "Naruto, I know none of this was your fault—I know you didn't want to get kidnapped—but this has been a hard couple of days for everyone and we're all a little frazzled. I know you can't be feeling your best right now, either. So just… Please be more careful, Naruto? Please?" Iruka didn't know if he could take Naruto disappearing again. His nerves were shot to hell and even though Naruto was safe and sound, he could have gotten seriously injured! He very nearly did, from the sounds of things!

Naruto nodded. "I'm sorry for worrying you, Iruka-sensei," he said obediently.

Iruka shook his head, frustrated. "It wasn't your fault," he replied. "You were the victim. I just…" Iruka slumped into his seat.

Hesitantly, Naruto sat back up and reached over the edge of the bed to pat Iruka on the head. "It's okay, I'm fine now," he soothed.

"I know you are," Iruka conceded, letting out a breath he hadn't realized he was holding. "I'm so thankful for that."

Naruto smiled at him and Iruka hesitantly grinned back.

After a long moment of silence, Naruto finally decided to break it with the question that had been bugging him since he'd been thrown back in bed. "Hey, what was with all of those alarms earlier? And I don't feel bad, so why am I in the hospital?" he asked.

For a moment, Iruka looked confused, but then understanding lit up his expression. "Oh, Naruto," he said, shaking his head, "you're not in the hospital, you're—"

The sound of buttons loudly being pressed and the door opening made Iruka pause, and he looked back just in time to see Sasuke walk inside in the room.

"…At Sasuke's house," he finished. Ever polite, Iruka smiled slightly and greeted, "Welcome back, Sasuke."

Naruto was gaping like a fish. He was at Sasuke's house? Since when? He didn't remember ever seeing this room.

"Thank you," Sasuke replied, and though he was talking to Iruka his eyes immediately landed on Naruto. "Iruka, could you leave us for a while? There are some things I'd like to discuss with Naruto alone."

Iruka let out an overly loud sigh as he stood, though he was smiling. "I guess that's okay. I should probably find Kakashi and make sure he isn't getting into any trouble, anyway." He started walking out the door, and just as the door was about to close he waved and said, "I'll be back later, you two."

When they were finally alone, Sasuke took the seat Iruka had just abandoned and Naruto fidgeted nervously into his pillows.

Not one for awkward silences and unable to take the questions swarming in his mind, Naruto blurted out, "Iruka said that this was your house. I don't remember this room."

Sasuke stared. "You've been here before. Don't you remember? The first time you came here, I had you wait in this room," he informed.

Naruto blinked. Sasuke had released the block on his memories, but sometimes things were still a little fuzzy. He wracked his brain and sure enough a brief flash of a strangely empty room appeared in his memories. "Oh!" Naruto exclaimed, eyes widening slightly as he remembered, but then he frowned. "But it was mostly empty last time I was here. Where did all of this stuff come from?"

"This is actually an observation room. I had some people bring all of the proper equipment here because I knew this was where I could best keep an eye on things. When you first came here, I stuck you in this room so I could listen on if you were going to reveal anything about why you'd been following me. Which," Sasuke smirked, "you did."

Naruto grimaced, remembering how he'd been foolishly talking to himself as he panicked. That hadn't been one of his smarter moves.

"But still," Naruto argued, "what's with all the security? You can't possibly think someone would be able to get past everything else and to this room just for me." He scoffed.

Sasuke shrugged. "It's always a possibility," he replied. "And besides, with that stunt you pulled at the ramen restaurant…" Suddenly, Sasuke looked ticked off. Gritting his teeth, he demanded to know, "Just what were you thinking, Naruto?"

Immediately, Naruto shrank and started fiddling with the edges of his bed sheets. Normally the last thing he would do was give in to Sasuke's anger, but he was all-too aware that this whole mess was entirely his fault. Sasuke and Kakashi could have gotten hurt—or worse—all because of him! "I…" Naruto cast his eyes downward.

This only angered Sasuke more. He was suddenly on his feet and right in Naruto's face, jerking his chin up. "Look at me!" he commanded, all of the frustration and worry and terror he had been feeling since Naruto had disappeared bubbling up to the surface. His eyes narrowed into slits. "You weren't thinking, were you?" he raged.

Suddenly, Naruto was angry. Just what did Sasuke know, anyway? Nothing! "Shut the fuck up, Sasuke!" he said, glaring right back at Sasuke. "I had my reasons, you ass! I knew you'd be overbearing like this and that's why I didn't tell you!"

Sasuke's hands clenched into fists and he looked like he wanted to punch something. "What kind of '_reasons_,'" he scoffed condescendingly, "could have warranted you putting yourself into a situation where you got fucking kidnapped, Naruto? Huh?"

"See, I knew you'd be like this!" Naruto screeched, jerking his chin angrily out of Sasuke's grip and slapping his hand away. "You like to treat me like I can't take care of myself, but I can, Sasuke! I can!"

"Obviously not!" Sasuke yelled back, temper completely lost. "If you could take care of yourself, I wouldn't have had to come rescue you!"

"I could have gotten out of there all by myself! I didn't need your help! I was doing just fine on my own!"

"I beg to differ!"

"YOU GUYS!"

Both Sasuke and Naruto jerked at the sudden voice and their heads swiveled towards the door. There stood Tenten, Shikamaru, and Neji. Tenten's foot was tapping ominously, and she looked annoyed. She was the one that had spoke.

Tenten put her hands on her hips. "Just what do you two think you're doing?" she demanded. "Naruto, you're supposed to be resting! Honestly, we come all the way out here to visit you, and the first thing we see is you two fighting!"

"Honestly…" Shikamaru mumbled to himself.

Sasuke lowered himself back onto his chair. He looked the perfect picture of relaxed, but Naruto knew him too well to buy it. Naruto knew Sasuke was probably silently simmering in his anger, but Naruto didn't feel like dealing with the bastard now that his friends were here.

"Sasuke started it!" Naruto immediately said, pointing an accusing finger at Sasuke.

Tenten stomped her foot. "And I'm going to end it! Lay back in that bed this instant, Naruto!"

Naruto frowned, a slight pout on his lips, but complied all the same. "I'm laying, I'm laying!"

"Good," Tenten replied, nodding briskly.

As Tenten, Neji, and Shikamaru walked over, Naruto asked, "What are you guys doing here, anyway? How did you…?" Naruto let the question hang, unsure of how to phrase it without sounding like an idiot. How had they gotten into the mansion? He didn't think any of them had even exchanged two words with Sasuke, save maybe Neji. And even then, Naruto was under the impression that the two of them didn't have the best relationship.

"We're here to visit you, of course," Tenten replied, elegantly lowering herself onto a chair. After Shikamaru and Neji followed suit, she continued, "We've been worried sick about you, you know! And even after we did to help rescue you, we've hardly gotten to see you at all." She pouted.

Naruto blinked, confused. "You helped rescue me, too?" he asked. He didn't remember seeing them. Had he really been so focused on Sasuke that he hadn't noticed his friends?

It was Neji who nodded. "Yes, Hatake-san called us when he found out where you were at. We came immediately," he said.

When Naruto continued to look confused, Shikamaru sighed and said, "You've always been such a troublesome person… While Sasuke and Kakashi went straight to the leader, we went about things the _proper_ way," he sighed, "and went about subduing and arresting the lackeys with the help of Sasuke's men."

"We were mostly a distraction," Tenten piped up.

Neji nodded in confirmation. "After officers Tenten and Shikamaru showed their badges, most of the thugs there were too worried about the police already being involved to worry about anyone other than themselves, much less their superiors. While they were trying to get away, Uchiha-san took advantage of the confusion and went to get you and Hatake-san followed after him."

At this, everyone turned to look at Sasuke, but Sasuke just continued to glare determinedly at the wall.

"Needless to say, the jails are much more full tonight," Neji finally finished.

Naruto smiled. "Thank you, you guys," he said. "You didn't have to risk yourselves like that for me…" After all, that Gato guy had seemed pretty confident. It couldn't have been a small number of people that Tenten, Shikamaru, and Neji had had to go up against.

"Nonsense! That's what friends are for, right? And it's not like this is the first time we've had to save your ass," Tenten said confidently.

"Yes…" Neji said, looking strangely happy. "I was happy to help you, Naruto-san."

Shikamaru just leaned back into his seat, though his grin seemed a little wider.

The ringing of a cell phone cut off their moment. Sighing to himself, Shikamaru reached into his pocket and fished out his phone before flipping it open and reading the message he'd been sent. He frowned to himself before snapping it closed. "Looks like we have to go," he informed. "The boss wants us to report back immediately."

Tenten groaned. "Already? We just got here!"

Naruto frowned. "You guys have to leave so soon?" he asked sadly.

Shikamaru nodded. "We need to finish filling out reports about what happened. That was quite the mess you were in the middle of, Naruto," he said, rubbing his forehead distractedly. He could already feel the headache forming.

Naruto understood, though he didn't like it. It seemed like it had been forever since he got to talk with everyone. "Alright…" he said, resigned.

"We'll come back later, when we're finished with everything," Tenten reassured as she stood up.

Neji and Shikamaru also stood and Neji took a small step forward. "Naruto-san…" he started. He paused, all too aware of the other people in the room with them, but determined to continue. "I wanted to thank you for everything you've done for me. That man… he's finally, finally…"

Naruto grinned. "No problem, Neji! I know this isn't going to bring back your father, but know that we'll always have your back! We won't let you face this kind of thing on your own!"

Neji smiled so sincerely it was almost heartbreaking. Finally, he nodded and the three of them left. Naruto was alone with Sasuke again.

Still pissed off at Sasuke, Naruto glared and rolled onto his side so he was looking at a wall instead of Sasuke. Stupid, stupid Sasuke…

Naruto wasn't quite sure how long the two of them had sat there in silence when Sasuke's sigh broke the quiet, but it had been a while. Still, Naruto stubbornly refused to look over at him.

It was only when the bed dipped and Naruto felt fingers gently touching his hair did he look, more out of reflex than anything. He hated how his heart skipped a beat when he met Sasuke's eyes.

"Naruto," Sasuke began, his voice surprising Naruto with how hesitant it sounded. "Did you mean what you said?"

And even though Sasuke didn't elaborate, Naruto instinctually knew what he was talking about. He tried to fight away his embarrassment, but it was impossible as he recalled his earlier confession to Sasuke. Though he was tempted to lie just to spite Sasuke, he couldn't bring himself to do so. "Yeah, I did," Naruto said finally.

Then Sasuke smiled and Naruto remembered why he loved the jerk.

Sasuke leaned down the same moment Naruto reached up, and they kissed.

* * *

Neji was sitting in a café, sipping absentmindedly at his drink as he stared out the window. He'd been helping Tenten and Shikamaru fill out their paperwork as best as he could, but he'd ended up needing a break. Everything had been going by so fast lately, and his mind was still trying to process some things.

Ultimately, he was content. There was still the stinging sensation in his heart that he knew wouldn't go away no matter how many years passed, but the person who was responsible for his father's death was now behind bars and couldn't hurt anyone else. At the beginning, he had truly thought things were impossible and now he was so, so glad he hadn't given up despite that. But he still missed his father so much…

Neji was snapped out of his musings when someone suddenly sat down at his table. Neji, surprised—he hadn't sensed anyone coming up to him at all!—looked up and saw Gaara Sabaku sitting across from him. Neji's mouth dropped open a little. What was he doing here?

When it became obvious that Gaara wasn't going to say anything, Neji decided to conversationally ask, "Hello, Sabaku-san. What brings you here?"

But still, Gaara only continued to stare.

Neji felt a little more uncertain, but continued on regardless. "Is there something I can do for you?"

"Rely on me," Gaara said simply.

Neji's eyes widened a little in shock. While he truthfully did have a bit of a thing for Gaara and they had talked several times, Neji didn't think they were anything more than acquaintances. So what was with the sudden familiarity?

Neji raised an eyebrow, his skepticism showing clearly on his face. "Sabaku-san, I don't think that's—"

"In the future, I want to be the one to help you," Gaara interrupted, deciding not to mention how he'd tried to help from the shadows this time around. He hadn't been able to do much earlier, and now he wanted to be _the_ helper. His earlier ineffectualness frustrated him to no end.

"Sabaku-san, we hardly know each other," Neji argued.

Gaara cocked his head to the side, uncomprehending. He thought they knew each other very well.

Neji shook his head. "I appreciate your concern, but I'll be fine," he said, nodding.

But then Gaara took his hand, and Neji looked him in the eyes. Then, out of nowhere, Neji was struck by the _rightness_ of the situation—like he was meant to be here, right now, listing to Gaara say these things.

"I want you to be able to rely on me," Gaara said again.

And slowly, Neji nodded.

* * *

"FREEDOM!" Naruto yelled as he all but jumped out of Sasuke's car, picnic basket in hand. Sasuke looked exasperated, but followed Naruto as he started running all the same.

Today was the first day Naruto had been outside since everything happened and he intended to make the most of it. He had gotten a hold of nearly everyone he knew and they were meeting together to talk, have fun, and eat. They were running a little late, though, because Naruto had accidentally blown up some curry when he'd been trying to cook in the kitchen. He'd never been much of a chef.

"Naruto! Sasuke! There you two are!" Iruka greeted happily when they appeared, out of breath, at the designated meeting place.

"You're late!" Sakura scolded, momentarily pausing in her act of laying out the food everyone had brought to cross her arms in annoyance.

Tenten waved at them from her spot beside Shikamaru, though she was too busy conversing with Lee and Kakashi to properly greet him.

Before Naruto could respond to any of this, a loud cry of "BOSS!" was heard and Naruto was abruptly tackled to the ground by an overenthusiastic Konohamaru. They both started laughing as a play fight was quickly started, both of them tackling each other and rolling in the grass.

And, on the hill that Konohamaru had insisted they visit when they first met him, Sasuke looked out at the view. It was just starting to get dark, and from where they were they had the perfect view of the city as the sun went down and it started lighting up.

And Sasuke smiled.

* * *

"There you are, Itachi!"

Itachi looked up from where he was lounging peacefully, a magazine in his hands, to stare at Kisame. The other prisoners shuffled around them and went about their business, creating a wide birth around the two. Some of them had tried to mess with Itachi when he had first arrived and it hadn't worked out well for them.

Itachi didn't even bother putting his magazine down. "What are you doing here, Kisame?" he asked. Last he checked, Kisame was still a free man, so why was he wearing prison clothes?

"I figured you could use some company, so I assaulted some men in front of a crowd of shoppers," Kisame revealed with a grin.

Itachi looked back down at his magazine. "You didn't have to do that. I'm fine on my own," he said, flipping a page.

"Too late to get rid of me now!" Kisame said, flopping into a chair beside Itachi. "Besides, I thought you might be happy to know that your plan for your brother worked."

For once, Itachi looked mildly surprised. He looked back up, arching an eyebrow. "Already?" he asked.

Kisame nodded. "The very same night I brought the kid there, your brother came and took everyone out."

Itachi looked mildly contemplative. "I didn't think he'd find the location of the building so fast," he admitted.

"Yeah, well, he _is_ your little brother," Kisame said with a shrug. "I can't be too surprised. It looks like things turned out even better than you thought they would."

"Did they?"

"Yeah! People can't stop talking about the way Sasuke decimated that group. I don't think anyone is going to be messing with him any time soon. Your brother should be fine." Kisame grinned as he revealed the news and it looked the tiniest bit malicious. He could hardly believe some of the fools, wanting to challenge an Uchiha. If you asked him, it was good that they were talking; that they were afraid.

Itachi nodded to himself. This was good. He knew if he left Sasuke alone, then Sasuke would become a major target and his foolish little brother hadn't done anything to help that. Itachi knew about the rival groups that would be acting up now that he was gone, and he'd hoped Sasuke would be able to take care of it on his own. But instead Sasuke had hesitated and refused to take any action, so Itachi had decided to force his hand.

By kidnapping Naruto and handing him over to one of the more ambitious groups, he had effectively put a target on the group's head, and his brother had done just as he had hoped he would. Now those fools would know not to mess with Sasuke just because Itachi was away. His brother would be fine.

"I appreciate your help with everything, Kisame," Itachi said, and he meant it. His brother's safety meant the world to him.

Kisame brushed the words away with the wave of his hand. "Don't worry about it."

They sat in companionable silence for a while, and despite where they were at they couldn't feel more at ease. Finally, Kisame shifted and Itachi's eyes were drawn to him, silently questioning.

"I…" Kisame sighed, shaking his head. "Listen, I know you were wanting to take a vacation or whatever the hell this is, but I have some bad news. I didn't come here just to keep you company."

Itachi nodded. He'd been expecting that. "Pain needs me?" he guessed.

"Yeah," Kisame confirmed. "For the next part of his plan, he needs everyone. Deidara's also here, and we're about to bust you out from the inside."

Itachi's eyes closed, though the action did nothing to stop the headache that was forming. "Deidara?" he repeated.

"Yep," Kisame said with a wince.

"Then I suppose things are about to get really loud."

"You'd better believe they are."

Suddenly, a loud, ear-splitting _boom_ rang out, and the building shook. Immediately, there was yelling and running, but it was interrupted by yet another _boom_ and insane laughter.

Sometimes Itachi hated his life.

"Well, that's our cue!" Kisame somehow managed to say over all of the sudden noise. Itachi nodded, and then they were gone.

**-End-**

* * *

**A/N: **Aaaaand, that's a wrap! That's it, the end of Mustering Happiness. ^^ I hope you all enjoyed it!

I tried to tie up all the loose ends with this final chapter, and I think I managed to do so. Pffft, does anyone even remember the Gaara/Neji romance I hinted at in the very first chapter? Haha.

As you can see, there's _definite_ potential for a sequel, but I'm not entirely sure I'm going to write it. I have a vague idea of what happens next, but I figure this is a good place to wrap things up. Plus, I'm kind of tired of this story. I've been working on it for so long… x.x

I do have two other stories I'm planning on writing, though! The first is a SasuNaru one, and the second is a Yu-Gi-Oh puzzleshipping fanfiction. x3 Please watch for them! I don't know how long it will take me to write them, but they shall be out eventually.

To tell you the truth, I'm a little sad this fanfiction is over. I've been writing it for a little over a year now, and so much has happened in that year… It's a little weird to think about where I was at when I started this.

Thank you all for sticking with me throughout this story! I really appreciated everyone's support. =D

~Riuolo


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